The Beast in the Basement
by Simply Rexene
Summary: When Kairi married her high school sweetheart, she never expected to be raising her sister's daughter or have her husband's deviant brother living in the basement. So what happens when Sora leaves town and the beast is let out of his cage? (This story is Part One of a two part series. Keep an eye out for Part Two: The Temptation Within Us.)
1. Chapter One

**A/N:** Welcome, welcome one and all to my newest romantic drama featuring Kairi, Sora and Vanitas. I'm going for the long haul with this one… my goal is to have one of those 40 chapter, 500 review kind of stories going. Therefore… unlike my usual writing style, I'm going to be doing shorter chapters with much more frequent updates.

Please help me hit my goals for reviews by letting me know what you think each and every chapter! I'm the type of writer that feeds on my peers thoughts and opinions… so even if you don't like something feel ever so free to let me know. (However, I do not tolerate outright flames.)

 _Token Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of their delightful characters._

 **This fanfiction is Rated M for language, violence, adult situations and sexual content. Please use discretion when reading. I only recommend this fanfiction for readers aged 18+.**

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 **Chapter One**

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"Planning your next best seller?"

I jumped out of my skin as my husband's arms snaked around my body, "I'm stuck. I have zero inspiration…"

"Hmm… well I think it could use a good sex scene," Sora whispered into my ear with a lecherous grin, "I could definitely provide you with some inspiration for that."

I just rolled my eyes, swatting him away from me, "Out, Sora. Seriously, get out. I'm supposed to have a rough draft of the plot for my editor on Monday."

"Yeah, and I'm going to be on a plane across the country on Friday," he countered, pouting at my a little, "Come on, babe… throw a dog a bone."

"I think you've got one too many bones already," I smirked, keeping my eyes glued to the blank page on my computer screen.

Sora let out a growl of frustration, "You suck… Can't we at least do a quickie? In and out, we don't even have to leave your office!"

"Ugh… is Namine home?"

"Nope… she's at some after school art club thing until 8, and Vanitas is out… Come onnn, Kai… You can't tell me you don't want it…" Sora sang as he slipped a warm hand under the hem of my shirt.

I scowled at the sound of his brother's name, "Ew, don't say his name around me."

"Damn it, Kairi!" the sudden outburst from Sora startled us both, "Can't you just once… because I'm begging you… just shut up and have spontaneous sex with me like we used to do?"

"Way to make me want it, Sora…" I mumbled, shrugging him off of me and opening my email to see if my editor had tried to contact me.

Giving a heavy sigh of defeat, Sora slumped down into the armchair in the corner of my home office. "Are we _ever_ going to have sex again?"

"We had sex last week!" I exclaimed, turning in my desk chair to face him.

"No… you fell asleep before I even got inside," he narrowed his eyes on me.

Blushing a little, I started to chew on my lower lip nervously. "I… I'd been writing all day… I guess I was tired."

"There's always a fucking excuse, Kairi…"

Feeling kind of bad for that, I stood up and walked over to him, "I'm sorry babe… I suppose I could make it up to you…"

He just stared up at me with this horrible look of disappointment, "Yeah… right…"

My stubborn side kicked in and I dropped down to my knees in front of him, starting to fumble at the button on his jeans.

"Kai… what are you doing?"

"I'm going to make it up to you."

He squirmed in his seat a little as I shimmied down his jeans and boxers, gripping his quickly hardening cock in my hand, "But… Kai…"

"Hush… I can do this…"

I stared at his cock for a long time… I suppose I was trying to will it into my mouth or something. I knew deep, deep down that he'd love a blow job. I did know that. It would be a wonderful way to make it up to him. But…

"Fuck… I can't. I just can't," I admitted, looking up at him sheepishly.

Sora just sighed again, "It's fine, Kairi… You've never done it before, I didn't exactly expect it now."

"Wanna have sex on my desk?" I offered, looking up at him with my big pouty eyes.

He almost looked like he was going to say no, but then he grinned and nodded, "Fuck yeah!"

"You… are an absolute dork," I teased him, sliding down my yoga pants and panties as I hopped up onto my desk and beckoned him closer.

"I really missed this, Kai…" he mumbled as he kicked off his pants and wrapped me up in a sweet kiss.

I gave a little moan in reply, glad that we weren't fighting anymore. Everything with Sora had just been… difficult lately. He was leaving on business trips almost once a month and… we were growing further and further apart. We'd only been married for 3 years… hell, I was only 22. Was this what life should be like?

I didn't even know how far we were into the sex when Vanitas walked in. All I remember is hearing a bark of laughter and his obnoxious, rage-inducing voice, "Damn, Sora… Your pale white ass is definitely not what I expected to walk in on right now."

"Fuck…" Sora grit out, stopping his thrusts and turning to look over his shoulder at his brother, "And what _were_ you expecting, Van? You have absolutely no reason to be in my wife's office."

"Can we maybe have this conversation with our clothing on?!" I squeaked out, trying to yank my shirt back down over my exposed breasts.

Vanitas just shrugged, "Fine, I can give you a few."

The moment he was gone I looked at Sora and just busted out laughing, "Oh my God… seriously… did that just happen?"

"I… I'm going to kick his ass," Sora said, pulling out of me and grabbing his pants, "I'm actually going to kill him."

I pulled my pants back up and sighed, "Well… I guess we can continue later. We'd better go see what he wanted."

"Easy for you to say…" he grumbled, "Van! Get the hell back in here!"

My raven-haired brother-in-law strolled back into the room, "Yeah?"

"Well?!" Sora exclaimed, demanding an explanation.

"Oh… I just thought you'd be interested to know where little Nami has been instead of art club," he said casually, shrugging as he leaned against the door frame.

My eyes darted straight to him, "Namine? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your 16 year old niece chatting up men at the bar I frequent. I gotta admit, her fake I.D. is pretty legit."

"You… you caught her talking to strange men at a bar… and you just left her there?!" I shouted at him, whacking him on the chest for extra measure.

He gave me a funny look, "Well shit, she's not my problem! Besides, I told you didn't I?"

"Sora… find her… now…" I told him, laying a heavy glare on Vanitas.

"I'll call you as soon as I can," Sora said, running down to his car.

The moment he was gone I sat down in my desk chair, "Holy shit… if… if anything happens to Namine my mother is going to murder me. I told her that I could handle this… I mean, she's a fucking teenager! How hard can it be to raise a teenager?!"

"Y'know… I never really got the full story on that. Isn't she your sister's kid?"

My entire jaw tensed up and I lifted my eyes to find him sitting in the armchair now. "She is… Xion is in rehab right now, where she'll probably be for the next two years at least. My parents don't have the room for Namine… they live in a one bedroom apartment in Hollow Bastion. I… I thought Sora and I could handle this…"

"Damn, how old's your sister to have a 16 year old? Aren't you like… 20?"

I rolled my eyes, "I'm 22, you prick. Xion's 31… she had Nami when she was only 15."

"Ah… so your mom took a pretty hefty break between kids, eh?"

I just sneered at him, "Aren't you like 34? Sora's only 25, so your mom took the same amount of time between you jokers."

"Oh… you're pretty quick with math, Kairi! Are you sure you aren't wasting your time with this writing nonsense?"

"Why the fuck am I even arguing with you about this?" I stood up, pacing my office like a caged animal, "If anything happens to Namine, I'm going to kill you. I will literally rip the smug grin off of your face."

He stood up as well, towering over me in just a big bulk of muscle and height, "Yeah? Can you even reach my face?"

At the end of my rope, I reached up and smacked him clean across the face as hard as I could, "Yeah. I fucking can."

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 **A/N:** And there's only more to come! Again, lemme know what you think so I can continue full steam with this guy!

For all of you following Simply Chaos, I'll be putting it on the back burner for a little while. My inspiration has all but completely died for it, and… people just don't seem as interested any more. If I'm not getting feedback for it, I have no idea if it's just… pointless for me to continue.

Favorite, follow and review please!

Love you all,

 _EtherealLove15_


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Well hopefully after Chapter One I've captivated you enough to bring you back in for Chapter Two. I'm deeply enjoying writing this already, so it should be very easy for me to keep the updates flowing!

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 **Chapter Two**

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"Your brother is ruining our lives, Sora…" I repeated as I smoothed some lotion onto my arms and legs before bed.

"You're overreacting, Kai…"

I turned to glare at him, "He just left her there, Sora! He knew how old she was and… and… he just left her! What if she'd gotten kidnapped or raped or… murdered?!"

"But she wasn't, Kairi… she's all snuggled up in her bed down the hall completely unharmed. He did the right thing by telling us and letting us handle it… She isn't his kid, after all."

"Sora if he had any… _ounce_ of responsibility anywhere inside of him, he never would have left her at that bar. And it's Wednesday night! Who the hell goes to a bar on a Wednesday night anyways?! Does he have a drinking problem? So help me, Sora, if you brought an alcoholic into this house…"

"He's not an alcoholic, Kairi! Jeez, just lay off him, okay?! You have no idea what he's been going through…"

I stopped rubbing in my lotion and quirked an eyebrow at him, "You're telling me… that the beast actually has some drama in his life? I thought he was just a freeloading douchebag!"

"Just drop it, Kai…" Sora clenched his jaw, and I knew that it was time to let it go.

"So… do you want to finally finish what we started earlier?" I grinned as I turned on my side to face him.

He snorted a little, "Wow, Kairi… is there like… a switch in your brain that just flips to sex? And seriously, where is it and how can I access it?"

"I guess you'll just have to try to find it," I giggled, leaning forward to kiss him.

"If you give me a challenge, I'm going to take it," he warned me, grabbing me around the waist and flipping my onto my back as he crawled over me.

I just smirked, "Then I wish you luck, husband of mine."

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"So! Did you read Blondie the riot act?"

"Fucking Christ, Vanitas!" I yelped, swirling around in my desk chair to face him, "You scared the shit out of me!"

He just lifted an eyebrow, "You never seem to care when Sora sneaks up on you."

"That's because he's my husband, you creep," I reminded him, taking my reading glasses off and rubbing the bridge of my nose. "But yes… we certainly read her the riot act. She's been grounded into the next century. No more art club, no more fake I.D., no more bars."

He nodded, "Good, good… So, did you and Sora get it on last night? Finish what I interupted?"

"Fuck, Van… get out of my office and back down to your cave," I snarled at him, turning back to my computer.

"You guys don't really bang anymore, do you?" he pressed further into the topic, a smug look on his face.

I tried to ignore him, but I could feel his golden eyes burning through the back of my head, "Vanitas, leave. You're not even supposed to be upstairs. You have literally everything you need to keep you alive in the basement. So just… go back there and hope that I don't lock you out for good."

"I'm bored down there… I don't have anything to do but watch porn and jerk off," he whined, making me twitch with anger.

"So maybe try _getting a fucking job_ or hey, maybe find yourself a girlfriend and move into her place so you can stop torturing Sora and I at every turn!"

Suddenly he was right behind me with his lips practically… ugh… touching my ear, "Why do you hate me, Kai? Hm? What'd I ever do to you?"

"Eww, get off!" I squealed, pushing him away as I leapt out of my chair and crossed the room, "I don't _hate_ you, Van, I _loathe_ you. Sora and I were doing absolutely perfect until you moved in. You turned everything into chaos! I mean seriously… you caught the couch on fire and blew up the microwave. Destruction follows you wherever you go! You're obviously a horrible influence on Namine… it was no coincidence that she showed up at your favorite bar, Van!"

He sneered at me, "Whoa, bitch… slow down… you can _not_ blame me for the whole Namine thing. I had absolutely nothing to do with that."

"I'm not going to tell you again, Van… get back to the basement or I'm going to kick you out permanently," I bit through clenched teeth.

"Oh yeah? Are you gonna slap me again too? Maybe the second one will actually hurt."

"Out," I said simply, grinding my teeth together as I tried so, so hard not to hit him again.

He just chuckled, "Fine, Pinkie Pie. I'll go."

His little nickname for me made my skin crawl with hatred. _Yes_ I had pink hair…. and maybe I watched My Little Pony sometimes. So what? He had no right to call me that.

At least he was gone.

x-x-x-x-x

"You suck, Aunt Kairi… I totally had the situation under control. And I wasn't talking to old guys… ew. I was with my friends!"

I laughed, "Yeah? I how old are your friends, huh?"

"Well… Roxas and Ventus are 18… but Yuffie is 16 just like me!"

"Namine, what the hell are you doing hanging out with 18 year old boys?!" I exclaimed, dropping my fork as I trained my eyes on her.

She just stared down at her dinner, "I… I like one of them…"

"Oh _hell_ no. No, no, no. You are not dating a senior. No fucking way," I forgot to watch my language in my fury. "Your mother would kill me, your grandmother would kill me, and _I_ … I will personally murder you."

"B…but… Roxas is so sweet and funny…"

That made me snort a little, "Oh yeah? Was he sweet and funny at the bar? Hm?"

"Will you fucking stop about the bar?! Okay?! It was the only night they'd let 18 year olds in, we got our hands stamped so we couldn't drink and we just hung out! I mean, we went there to dance! That's all!"

My expression fell and I narrowed a glare on her, " _Language_ , Namine. I'm not raising a teen delinquent in this house. We have enough trouble with Vanitas and his antics, I don't need them from you too. You lied to us and you broke the law by going to that bar. You are _not_ allowed to date this older boy, and you are most certainly not going out with _anybody_ for the next century. Got it?"

Sora just sat there staring at us both with wide eyes, "Kairi… let's just enjoy dinner, okay?"

"Yes… okay… Sora, dinner is lovely. I'm going to miss your cooking while you're gone. …How long is this trip?"

He shifted a little, looking uncomfortable, "At least a month, maybe two… This is a huge client that we're trying to bring in and…"

"Two months…?" I cut him off, frowning a little, "Sora… that's… Can't anybody else go? I mean… you have a family."

"I tried to tell them that, but since Namine isn't actually our daughter… she doesn't really count to them as a dependent. They told me that if you and I had little kids they would reconsider, but… I'm the only one they trust to land this client."

I sighed, nodding, "All right… I understand… Shit! Sora, does this mean I have to babysit your brother too? Fuck…"

"Yeah, and I need to watch _my_ language…" Namine sneered, picking at her salad.

"He doesn't need babysitting, Kai… he just needs some guidance occasionally. All you have to do is make sure he doesn't try to microwave a potato in foil again and everything will be fine," Sora tried to reassure me.

I wasn't buying it. "Trouble follows him, Sora. I don't trust him. Do you remember the incident with the car? We let him borrow it once… and he came home without it because he _forgot where he parked,_ so he caught a bus home. Do you remember how long it took us to find the fucking car?!"

"So… don't let him take the car? Seriously, Kairi… it'll be fine. Just keep one eye on him and… focus everything else on your writing. Two months will fly by… promise."

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 **A/N:** Another fun little chapter for you all. I think I've taken on quite a humorous tone beneath the drama… Oh, the drama… you don't even know what's coming.

As always, favorite, follow and review!

Love love!

EtherealLove15


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N:** Back again! Hope you guys are still enjoying my fun little fic. :)

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 **Chapter Three**

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"Yo Pinkie Pie, where do you and Sora keep your bread? Mine got all moldy and I really want a sandwich."

The scream that I let out could have shattered glass, "Vanitas! I'm in the fucking shower! Get out of here!"

"Well damn, I can't see anything. Your stupid curtain is blocking the view," I could almost hear him pouting.

"Get the fuck out!" I screeched again, covering myself in the shower even though I knew he couldn't see me.

"I just need to borrow a couple slices of bread, Pinkie… No need to be hostile."

Growling, I just gave up trying to fight with him, "It's in the fridge!"

"Why do you keep your bread in the fridge? That's weird."

"Because then it doesn't mold!" I shouted, "This is not a fucking conversation, Van! I'm trying to take a shower! Just go take your fricking bread and leave me alone!"

There was a long pause that made me think he might be gone, but just when I'd relaxed he spoke again, "Well damn, Pink… You don't need to get nasty."

"Van, I'm not telling you again… You've overstepped your boundaries here. If Sora knew about this he'd murder you. Go make your sandwich."

Another long pause before, "…Do you want one?"

"Out!" I screamed again, finally hearing his footsteps retreating and the bathroom door closing behind him.

x-x-x-x-x

The house was too quiet as I headed for my office to write. I hated not having Sora around… when he wasn't at work he was home playing computer games with his friends online or… or cooking us something delicious.

I missed Sora.

"What the…?" I mumbled, approaching my desk. Right in the center, sitting on top of a paper plate was a turkey sandwich. Even more shocking than that, the top piece of bread was off and written right there… in the center of the turkey in fucking mayonaisse… was the simple little word, "Sorry."

I stared at it for a long, long time. I think I might have even been in shock. Had Vanitas actually done something nice?

"It's a good sandwich, y'know," his voice behind me chilled my spine.

"Christ, we should put a fucking bell on you," I snapped out of my little trance, turning around to find him standing in the doorway munching on his own sandwich.

He chuckled a little, "You're so uptight… I was just trying to apologize."

"You can apologize by going back to your basement and letting me work."

"Can't I just sit in here with you? I'm going nuts down there…"

I rolled my eyes, sitting down at my desk. He looked so pitiful… "Fine. But no talking. I really need to work on this story."

"What's it about?"

"You really suck at the no talking thing, don't you?" I shook my head in disbelief as I opened another blank document. "But… if you must know, I have no idea what it's about. I'm stuck…"

He took a seat in the corner, "So… what are you supposed to be writing? Horror, sci-fi, fantasy?"

"Romance… I write shitty romance novels…"

"Ah, old lady porn," he chuckled, "So write something different."

"I wish it were that easy, but my publisher wants a romance novel."

He thought for a long moment while I stared at my blank page, "You know what you need to do? Turn off the computer and grab a notebook. Pen and paper is sexy. You'll think of something then."

"That… actually makes sense. I'm going to try that," I said as I closed out of the window and put the computer to sleep.

"I will leave you to it, then," Vanitas lifted himself out of the chair, "Hey… are you gonna eat my apology sandwich?"

I wrinkled my nose a little, "I'm not really hungry right now…"

"Cool," he grinned, walking over and grabbing it off of my desk only to take a gigantic bite out of it, "Good luck with your porn."

Laughing a little, I started rifling through my drawers for an empty notebook. It'd been quite some time since I'd written on paper. But he was right… paper was sexy.

So Van could occasionally be a normal human being… I was actually a little surprised by it. When Sora asked me if he could move in, I was less than thrilled. I hadn't been around him much myself until more recently, but the stories Sora would tell me about him… He was not the kind of man I wanted living in my house.

And I never really even got the whole story on why he had to move in. Sora told me some crap about him losing everything he had, but he just left it at that. Any time after that if I tried to ask he just did his jaw clench thing and I had to give up. Once Sora clenched his jaw, he was done talking about the subject.

Either way, even if Vanitas did have his occasional human moments, I knew what he was underneath. Nothing but a …beast.

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"Please, Aunt Kairi, _please_? Weren't you only 15 when you met Sora? And he was 18! Come on, I _really_ like Roxas… Can't I have him over for dinner at least? When you meet him you'll love him."

"I'm not going to keep having this conversation with you, Namine… No means no."

"What if Roxas is my highschool sweetheart? What if he's the one I'm meant to marry and… and I miss out on true love all because you won't give him a chance?"

I sighed heavily, staring up at my stubborn niece from my spot on the couch, "One dinner. That's all he gets to impress me. But if I say no… I mean it. Invite him for tomorrow, I'll run to the grocery in the morning."

"Yes! Ooh, thank you Aunt Kairi!" she squealed, leaning down and hugging me.

Chuckling a little, I sit up and hug her back, "But tonight I'm not cooking… Pizza?"

"Oooohh can I drive?" she asked, looking entirely to eager to use her new driver's license.

"I suppose… go ask Van if he wants anything."

"Oh I'm definitely down for pizza," I suddenly heard right in my ear.

Whacking at him, I turned around, "That's it, I'm buying a bell. Why are you skulking around up here anyways?"

"So Blondie's boyfriend is coming for dinner, eh? That'll be interesting. Ooh, can I come too? I'd love to see the smackdown you give him for the bar trip," he wore a disgusting grin as he spoke, hopping over the back of the couch and sitting down next to me.

"I told you to stop climbing on the furniture like that…" I warned him, straightening out the back of the couch, "I suppose you could come… you'd likely scare the shit out of him at least."

Namine huffed, "Auntie Kai we aren't supposed to be scaring him!"

"Oh right… Because you have a say in this," I throw her a sarcastic smile. "Go get us some pizza."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise, "By myself? Hell yeah!"

"But take the beater, not the Honda," I reminded her that she was only to drive our ass-old Chevy Impala, not my new Fit.

Vanitas cackled a little, "At least she'll have some dignity in the Impala."

"What the hell are you trying to say about my car?" I defend my little Fit. Sure, it was weird… but I fucking loved my car.

"That little pussy piece of junk? I wouldn't be caught dead in that ugly thing," he smirked, "At least Sora drives a somewhat respectable car."

I let out a bark of laughter, "Ha! So a Kia Forte is more respectable than my Fit? I don't even need keys to turn my car on. I just press a button!"

He shook his head, "You women and your need for tiny, ugly cars will never cease to amaze me."

"At least my car doesn't take up 3 quarters of the garage unlike your big ass truck!"

"Well you'd probably be able to fit your stupid car in the other quarter, wouldn't you?"

Our arguing went on and on literally until Namine came back holding a couple of pizzas. "Whoa… you haven't even moved since I left. Are you still fighting about your dumb cars?"

"They're not dumb!" we both shouted in unison, making me look over at him quickly. I did _not_ need to be speaking in unison with him.

"You two are so strange…" she mumbled, tossing the pizza boxes down on the coffee table along with some paper plates and napkins. "I think there's something wrong with the brakes on the Impala. They seem laggy."

Vanitas nodded, "I'll take a look at them tomorrow."

I threw him a confused look, "You? What do you know about cars?"

He leveled his eyes on me, looking absolutely amazed that I'd even ask. "I'm a fucking mechanic, Kairi."

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Ooh, the tension continues to build. Seems like Kairi needs to pull her head out of her ass and maybe get to know Van a little better before she judges him. What do you guys think?

Continue reviewing! I love seeing them grow.

Tata for now!

EtherealLove15


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N:** I'd like to say a big old thanks to SoraxKairi7 and Twenty-Twenty-One for faithfully reviewing every chapter so far! Love you guys. :) People like you are what keep me writing! (Also, they're both amazing writers as well, so be sure to check them out!)

Onwards to…

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Four**

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"You… you're a mechanic?" I repeated, wondering how I didn't know that before.

Vanitas rolled his eyes, "Like you care… All you ever do is yell at me. If you'd shut the fuck up and just talk with me occasionally maybe you'd know more about me…"

"You mean like the reason you're living in my basement?"

"For starters, yes. Honestly, Pinkie, what has my brother been telling you to make you hate me so much?" I could feel his golden eyes burning through me as he spoke.

I shifted a little, "Namine… take your pizza to your room so we can talk."

"But Aunt Kai—"

"Just take it and go," I repeated, shooing her off.

She grumbled and threw a couple slices on her plate, storming upstairs to her room.

The moment she was out of earshot I turned to him, "Do you want to know what Sora would tell me? Really? You've been in prison twice… You slept your way through high school and the one and a half years of college you actually made it through… You basically have a trail of broken hearts leading up to your feet because you haven't been able to salvage any of your relationships after doing something stupid to destroy them… Your parents want nothing to do with you anymore which is why we got stuck with you here… Oh, and to top it all off your idea of a good time is to prowl around our house lighting things on fire and blowing things up. Excuse me if I don't want to get to know you."

"I was married. For five years. Did you know that?" he blindsided me with that one, "My wife died. Tragically. And it wasn't anything I did. I guess Sora left that part out…"

"I… well… uhm… Is that supposed to make me feel sorry for you or something?" Okay, so I was being a total bitch at that point.

He shook his head, "I'm not looking for pity from you, Pinkie Pie. I was providing you with facts. I did not destroy all of my relationships."

"Well I'm sure—"

"We had a daughter. She died with Aqua that night. That's why I'm here… I couldn't be in my house after losing my entire family."

I couldn't help but feel bad. Who wouldn't? "Van, I'm sorry… I didn't know…"

"I asked Sora not to say anything. I wasn't ready for all of the questions and pitying looks. Like you said, my parents want nothing to do with me, so… here I am."

"What was her name? …Your daughter, I mean."

He smiled a little, "Maisie… she had my golden yellow eyes, so we thought it made sense…"

"How old was she…?" I asked, hopeful that I wasn't overstepping.

"She was about to turn 4 when it happened. Aqua had her in the car and a semitruck ran a red light… They were gone before the ambulance even got there…"

I stared down at the floor, my appetite gone. "When was all this? I mean… you've been living here for at least a year now, right?"

"It was the spring of 2014, so yeah… a little over a year ago. I only lasted a week by myself before I decided to sell the house. It was too quiet…"

"That's why you don't like being in the basement alone, isn't it?"

He smirked, "If you'd ever raised a three year old, you'd know that you don't get ten seconds of silence with them. …Ever. I'm just not used to it yet."

"I… I don't get it… You never seemed sad or anything. You've just been a smartass since you got here."

Van laughed, looking over at me, "Everyone has a defense mechanism, Pinkie… Yours is yelling, if you haven't noticed. Mine is being a jerk."

"I… I don't yell that much…" I blushed a little, "Besides, it's only because you do stupid shit like sneaking up on me in the shower! Who does that?!"

He just shook his head, chuckling, "Couldn't resist that one… You were singing all off-key, drew me right to you."

"What? I wasn't singing," I furrowed my brow curiously.

"Oh but you were, Pinkie Pie. I was a bit concerned by your song choice, though… Death metal, really?"

Okay, so maybe my choice in music was a bit odd… But Chris Motionless was sexy as hell. "So… so I like some different music, so what?"

"Hey, I'm not judging. They're my favorite band," he raised his hands up in defense, "…Okay, so I might be judging you a little. Who watches My Little Pony _and_ likes Motionless in White?"

"It's entirely possible to like very different things!" I exclaimed, grabbing the pillow from behind my back and hitting him with it. "You're such a jerk, Van!"

He waited for me to let my guard down before snatching the pillow back from me and whacking me upside the head with it, "You don't want to start a war with me, Pinkie."

I kicked at him, scrambling off the couch and onto the recliner where another throw pillow became my weapon, "Oh, but I think I do."

A huge grin grew on his lips and he lunged for me, tripping over the rug and diving headfirst into the recliner as I hopped to the other couch, bouncing around on the cushions while I waited for him to recover. I knew that I was breaking all of my own rules about climbing on the furniture, but… damn, it was fun.

"Come and get me, Van!" I teased, holding my pillow at the ready.

He leapt for me again, grabbing my legs and yanking me off my feet so I fell to the couch on my back. "Oh, I got you," he laughed, starting to beat me with his pillow relentlessly. "Give up yet?"

I couldn't stop giggling even though he was technically hitting me. I hadn't had that much fun in a long time. "Okay, okay! I surrender! You win!"

Van smirked, tossing the pillow aside and flopping down on the other couch. "I knew you'd give up, Pink. I told you it's not smart to start—"

He was cut off with a swift blow to the face with my pillow. Was he really that naïve? I jumped on top of him, showing him the true meaning of a pillow fight. "Lemme know when you're ready to give in!" I taunted him, having a blast.

"Aunt Kairi! What are you doing?"

Namine's voice made me freeze where I was, my eyes moving from hers to Van's, "Uhm…"

He nodded towards her, reaching down and grabbing his own pillow. I immediately caught his drift and hopped off of him, both of us now advancing towards Namine. "Get her!" he shouted, and we both attacked.

She screeched, trying to run away from us and grab her own pillow. Out of pity, I tossed her one from the couch and let her in on the fun.

Anybody watching us right then would've thought we'd gone absolutely insane. And maybe we had. But you know what? It was fun.

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 **A/N:** Hmm, could there be a truce in the works? Poor Van, losing his whole family… Hopefully things are starting to make more sense now!

Continue reviewing as you read! I love it.

Until Chapter Five,

EtherealLove15


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N:** I'm back with even more! Writing this fic has been making me so happy. :3

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 **Chapter Five**

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I twitched a little, a shock of pain running through my spine. What was I sleeping on and why did it feel like the floor?

Oh. It was the floor.

Ew, and what smelled like foot?

…That'd be Namine's foot dangling over my face, I suppose.

My head was on something comfy at least. Except… the throw pillows were never this comfy. So what…?

"Van!" I screeched, sitting up straight when I realized that I had my head all nuzzled up on him.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Kairi! What the hell?!" he shouted back, shooting up and looking around in a confusion.

I turned to face him, blinking a few times, "What the hell happened last night?!"

Suddenly Namine was leaning down over us from her perch on the couch, "We fell asleep out here after our pillow war... Why are you screaming?"

"Why was I asleep on Vanitas?!" I directed my question at her, "How come I'm not on a couch?!"

She just shrugged, "I dunno. You two fell asleep first like that. I just left you there."

"Ew… Ew!" I repeated, standing up and stretching out the best I could, "You could've at least given me a proper pillow, Nami."

"I'm not in charge of you!" she exclaimed, hopping off the couch, "I'm going to my room, where I can finish sleeping without listening to you scream at each other."

When she was gone, I turned to find Vanitas staring at me with a lecherous grin, "Well I slept like a baby, I don't know what you're so upset about."

"My back is going to hurt for weeks," I grumbled, bending forward to touch my toes and try to alleviate some of the aching in my spine.

"Ooh, nice cleavage Pinkie Pie," he commented, making me shriek and cover up my chest. Leave it to Van to pervert everything.

I sneered at him, "Back to your cave, Van… Just because we had one brief moment of fun doesn't mean we're suddenly besties."

"Aw, you mean we aren't going to gossip while we braid each other's hair?" he pouted, pulling himself up to his feet.

"And you wonder why I hate you…" I grumbled, starting to straighten up the living room after our antics.

He furrowed his brow, "Even after I opened up to you? Damn, Pinkie, you're cold…"

"You opened up to me and then proceeded to beat me with a pillow!"

"Hey, you started that Pinks. I had nothing to do with it," he reminded me, slinking into the kitchen, which opened out into our living room.

I watched him rifle through our fridge, my blood boiling, "Van, get out of the kitchen!"

"Do you guys have any PopTarts?"

That made me stop cold, throwing him an incredulous look, "Why the fuck are you looking for PopTarts in the fridge?"

"Aren't they technically a bread?"

"They're in the cabinet, you dork. Right above the fridge," I gave in. I couldn't reach them up there anyways, and a PopTart kinda sounded good right then.

He pulled the box down, letting out a little cheer, "Fuck yeah! Wildberry! My favorite!"

"Really? They're my favorite too, but Sora hates them. He only eats the fudge ones," I laughed a little, remembering why Sora had put them up so high.

Tossing me one, he sat down at the little breakfast bar in the kitchen—a little rectangular table with padded benches on either side of it that was built into the wall. "So… you and Sora were high school sweethearts, eh?"

"Yeah… we've been together since I was 15," I said as I sat down on the other side.

"I guess I can see it… Kinda seems like you don't get along anymore.

I huffed a little, "We get along just fine! Every couple fights a little."

"Shit, when I was married to Aqua I couldn't keep my hands off of her… for all 5 years, and the two before that when we were dating. …I'm kind of surprised that we didn't have more kids."

"Well excuse us for not being sexual deviants," I mumbled, wishing that he'd stop bringing up sex around me.

He snorted a little, his voice muffled through a bite of PopTart, "You're like the fucking Amish. Except I heard that even _they_ get drunk and have wild sex parties in the middle of the woods!"

"I love my husband… and if you're implying anything otherwise, I'm through with this conversation."

"Whatever, Mrs. Denial. Hey, how's your story coming along?"

I rolled my eyes at the comment, but let it go because he changed the subject, "It's going really well, actually… You were right, I needed to put it down on paper. I even have the first chapter started."

"Middle aged women everywhere will adore it, I'm sure," he teased, trying to ruffle my feathers.

But it wouldn't work. I knew that I wrote porn for housewives. I also fucking loved my job. "Say what you want, Van… at least I'm making money."

"So, do you have a title yet?"

I smirked a bit, "Yeah, actually… I think I'm going to call it _The Beast in the Basement_."

That caught his attention, and he actually seemed a bit thrown by it. "Yeah? And where did your inspiration come from?"

"Calm down, dumbass. It's about a guy that has a sex dungeon in his basement."

"Oh damn… so you write that _50 Shades of Grey_ kind of shit?"

I gagged a little, "Uhm… no. That series was a bunch of bullshit lies. BDSM is nothing like how she portrayed it. Contracts and secrets and mindless following… It's all crap."

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh? So you're an expert on BDSM then?"

"I… I went through a phase in college…" I admitted, my cheeks flushing bright red, "B…but Sora never wanted anything to do with it, so I never got to try anything!"

"Figures… I oughta slap that dumbshit brother of mine for not treating you right."

I glared at him, "It was a phase and I'm over it. But I did enough research to know what's right and what's wrong."

"What's wrong is my brother wasting a girl like you…" he mumbled, staring out the window. "Hey, it's actually nice out today. Maybe we should have a cookout for Blondie's boyfriend."

I'd almost forgotten about that. "Uhm… maybe. But I don't know how to grill or anything."

He scoffed a little, "Figures… Can I at least trust you to bring home some good meat?"

"Uhm…"

"All right, Pinkie Pie… Go shower and get dressed. We're going to the grocery, and then the meat market."

I looked at him curiously, "Can't we just buy the meat at the grocery?"

"I suppose we could, if you feel like chewing on a rubbery hockey puck all night," he chuckled, "The meat market is top quality… Trust me on that."

"So you're going to cook then? Why do I find myself not trusting you?"

He ignored that comment, "Do you have a gas grill or charcoal?"

"Uhm…"

"Yeah, I'm cooking. Now go get dressed!" he hurried me off, swatting at me as I scurried out of the kitchen. "Women…" I could hear him mutter as I headed upstairs.

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"What's that?" I questioned him for the billionth time as I watched him throw a little jar of spices in the cart.

He rubbed his temples in annoyance, "It's a rub for the meat… ideally I would marinate it for a couple days, but a dry rub will be just as good."

"Ew… so you have to rub the meat?"

"Yes, Kairi! With my bare hands!" he exclaimed a little too loudly, drawing attention from the rest of the people in the aisle.

I pouted a little, "Okay… so what kind of meat are we getting?"

"Pork," he stated simply, his voice tinging with irritation.

"Ew… I don't like pork…"

He didn't seem to care. "You'll like this pork."

"But it's always fatty and burnt…"

"Not the way I make it," he told me, tossing a bottle of something in the cart.

"What's th—"

"Don't even," he cut me off, clenching his jaw tightly just like Sora did.

I shut up and just followed him around like a lost puppy with the shopping cart.

"What do you want for side dishes? Rice? Potatoes? Some kind of salad?"

I shrugged, "I dunno… I like potatoes… and salad…"

"All right, so I'll throw some potatoes on the grill too. Can I trust you to make a salad?" he asked, looking down at me with a bored expression.

"I make really good salads!" I defended myself, whining just a little. It was his turn to follow me around as I gathered all of the stuff for my famous garden salad with chickpeas and black beans.

He grumbled a little as I turned down the same aisle for the third time, having forgotten something else. "Good Lord, I pity Sora for ever marrying you…"

"Shut up!" I squawked, whacking him with a bottle of balsamic vinegar, "We were low on food at home!"

"Whatever, Pinkie Pie… Can we please go one of these years?"

I just rolled my eyes, turning around and heading down the same aisle again for a can of beets. He could deal with my forgetfulness just this once... I was never going anywhere with him again.

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 **A/N:** Ooh, Van the sexy grillmaster… ;P Anybody else super excited for the Roxas scene? I know I am!

Continue reviewing, my amazing followers. :D

Buhbye for now!

EtherealLove15


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N:** You guys have no idea how excited I am about this story! It's so rare to get this many chapter out of me in such little time, but I've been nonstop with this one. I hope you're all just as excited!

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 **Chapter Six**

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"So like… what do I call you? Are you like my uncle or something?" I heard Namine ask Vanitas while I set the picnic table with plates and silverware.

He shrugged, "Close enough. Just don't go lettin' him think I'm married to that one," he told her, brandishing his spatula at me.

"Like I'd ever marry you," I scoffed, jabbing at him with a fork.

"God, can't you two ever get along?! Don't ruin this for me, Aunt Kairi!" Namine whined, nearly jumping out of her skin when her phone buzzed in her pocket. "Crap! He just pulled into the driveway! Uhm… Behave!"

She ran into the house, straightening her hair and her white dress at the same time in a flurry of nerves.

"Oh, to be 16 again…" Van laughed, flipping the pork chops on the grill.

It wasn't long before Namine came floating through the back sliding door again, dragging a short sandy-blond kid behind her. "Aunt Kairi, this is Roxas. Roxas… this is my Aunt Kairi."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," he started, but then caught himself, "I mean… uhm… Miss… I mean…"

"You can call me Kairi… I'm only 4 years older than you, after all," I told him, reaching out to shake his hand.

He stared at me like a deer at headlights, "Oh… uhm… really?"

"But I'm still the adult here. Got it?" I stared right back into his eyes, threatening him with my gaze.

Vanitas cleared his throat, "Excuse me? I've got 16 years on the kid! 12 on you!"

Roxas looked over at him and jumped a little. Van could be… intimidating to some people. Not only was he incredibly tall and extremely ripped, but all of those tan muscles were covered in tattoos. And don't even get me started on the piercings… His eyebrow, snakebites, gauges in his ears… God knows what else is pierced. "S…so… who is he?"

"He's the monster we keep locked in the basement," I joked, enjoying the expression on Roxas' face when Van gave him a little grin.

"Name's Vanitas. If you do anything to hurt Blondie here, I'll murder you in your sleep," he introduced himself, holding out a tattooed hand.

Roxas just gulped, shaking his hand weakly. "Right… got it."

"He's like… my uncle or something," Namine cut in, glaring at both of us. I just couldn't help how much fun I was having! "Ignore him. Please."

"So Roxas, you like hanging out in bars?" I asked him casually as they sat down at the picnic table.

He blushed deeply, not willing to make eye contact with me, "Well… I… just on their minor's night… I… I didn't do anything illegal…"

"Oh, so you just coaxed my niece into doing the illegal things?" I countered immediately, raising an eyebrow.

"I… I didn't know how old she was… I thought she was 18…" he mumbled, staring at the grass now.

Namine was blushing now, "Sorry… Yuffie and I thought you knew we were sophomores."

"I know, Nami," he smiled at her, "It's okay… you know I don't care."

I coughed a little, "Yes, well… I care. Your age difference makes me incredibly uncomfortable."

Roxas shot me a confused glance, "Didn't your husband just say he was 12 years older than you?"

"Oh God… excuse me while I gag…" I exaggerated, leaning over and faking wretching sounds.

Vanitas walked over with the plate of meat, setting it down in the center of the table, "I never said I was married to Pinkie Pie. I'm her husband's brother."

"Who's Pinkie Pie?" Roxas looked entirely jumbled, and I didn't blame him. This house was becoming a three ring circus.

I flipped my pink hair over my shoulder, "Apparently that's me."

"Okay… so you're married to his brother? Where is he?"

"On a stupid business trip…" I grumbled as I started putting my plate together, "In the meanwhile, I'm the parent you have to impress."

I had to admit, the pork smelled absolutely amazing… and it didn't look burnt, nor did it have an ounce of fat on it.

"The food looks really good, Mr… erm…" Roxas went stumbling through names again, trying to decide what to call Van.

And of course, Van had to play with him a little. "You shall call me Mr. Hikari."

"Of course, Mr. Hikari… the food seems delicious," he corrected himself.

"Ugh… I can't even listen to it. Call me Van," he wrinkled his nose in distaste at the formality.

Roxas nodded, swallowing heavily, "Okay, Van… Uhm… The food—"

"Looks great, yeah… why don't you actually try it first?" he cut him off, staring him down with those crazy golden eyes.

"Vanitas, stop it!" Namine yelped, "You don't need to be so mean!"

"Oh, come on… I'm just playing around," he gave her his puppy-dog eyes, which were a bit ineffective with their odd coloring.

Namine just bit her tongue, turning to Roxas with a smile, "Why don't we all dig in? We can talk more after dinner."

I usually hated grilled food. I absolutely hated the taste of char. But… the food Van had made was absolutely delicious, and I kind of couldn't believe that it came off the grill. "Vanitas… where did you learn how to grill like this?"

"I dunno… taught myself, I guess. It's not rocket science," he shrugged casually.

So why did Sora always serve charred bricks when he tried to grill? "Well… I'm banning Sora from the grill so long as you're around."

"Wait… do you mean Sora Hikari?" Roxas suddenly perked up, a strange look on his face, "Like… the video game designer, Sora Hikari?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah… I suppose that's what he does when they aren't sending him halfway around the world."

"You know that your husband is like… famous, right? I mean, in the gaming world… he's like one of my idols!" Roxas started to fangirl all over the place, making Namine groan in embarassment.

"Uhm… I guess? He just does his job and comes home…" I hadn't really realized that Sora was famous. I just thought he was really good at his job.

Roxas turned to Namine, "You've gotta have me over when he gets back. I can't believe your uncle is Sora Hikari!"

Vanitas glanced at me from across the table, "How did you not know that your own husband is a nerd celebrity?"

"Because he never told me?" I pushed my bangs out of my eyes, giving him a sheepish look, "I mean… did you know?"

"That Sora's captain of the dork parade? Yeah, I knew that," he said, turning to look at Roxas, "Kairi's famous too, you know. She's one of the leading authors in women's porn."

Roxas nearly choked to death on his drink while Namine's eyes widened in disgust.

"Van, shut the fuck up! I write romance novels, not porn," I tried to save the situation, but it was already tanking hard.

Namine looked about ready to murder us both, "Aunt Kairi, Uncle Van… can we maybe not talk about _anything_ anymore?"

I nodded, "Well… lets talk about you, Roxas. What are you into? Are you an artist like Nami?"

He laughed a little, "Not at all. She's actually helping me pass art because of how massively I suck at it. I don't really do like… afterschool activities and stuff. I pretty much just hang out with my twin and my best friend Axel."

Vanitas snorted, "You're a twin? Seriously?"

"Well… yeah? His name is Ventus."

Suddenly Vanitas sat up pin straight, like someone had shoved a rod up his ass or something, "Are you related to Terra Kaito?"

"He's our older brother… why?"

"Fuck… uhm… you never met me, never saw me here. Okay?" Van sounded like someone had kicked him.

Roxas just nodded slowly, "Okay… I mean, I don't really see him anymore. He's a lot older than us."

"Never, _ever_ mention my name to him, got it? Just… don't."

I stared at Van curiously, "And why would that be?"

He shushed me, looking like he'd seen a ghost or something, "I'll tell you later."

"You'd better!" I exclaimed, chuckling a little. I'd never seen him this freaked out before. It was kind of hilarious. What could dearest Van be hiding this time?

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 **A/N:** What could Van have possibly done to Terra?! I know I'm excited to find out. ;P Hopefully you all find this chapter as hilarious as I did! How horribly embarassed do you think Namine is right now?

Chapter Seven, coming right up!

EtherealLove15


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N:** Hello everybody! Sorry for the temporary delay, but I had company over yesterday. I was so mad that I couldn't update!

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 **Chapter Seven**

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"So?" the eager sound hit my ears as Namine practically danced into the kitchen, "Can I keep him?"

I turned from the sink to face her, setting the scrub brush down and sighing, "Namine… I…"

She started to squirm impatiently as I drew it out, "Aunt Kairi!"

"Yes, you can continue seeing him. But you have a very strict curfew of 9 o'clock, got it young lady?"

"Oh my gosh, yay!" she squealed happily, running up and hugging me tightly, "Thanks Aunt Kairi! Roxas, she said yes!"

I chuckled a little as she ran into the living room to chatter at him. Roxas wasn't a bad kid… I could tell right away that he'd be good for her.

"So you're giving her the go ahead, eh?" Vanitas slinked into the kitchen, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.

"Well… yeah. I liked him well enough. Didn't you?"

He shrugged, "I guess he's all right. He's a gigantic dork like Sora, so he should be fairly harmless."

I turned back to the dishes, but I hadn't forgotten the scene he made earlier at dinner, "So… who's Terra and why did you nearly wet yourself talking about him?"

"Crap… I was really hoping you'd forget about that…"

"Just tell me what happened, Van… I'll get it out of you sooner or later," I told him, very interested in hearing this story.

Vanitas grumbled a little, "All right… Fine… But not even Sora knows the whole story so… keep it to yourself, got it?"

"Cross my heart," I turned off the water and sat down across from him, wanting to give him my full attention.

"So Terra, Aqua and I all went to high school together—"

"Aqua… she was your wife, right?" I cut him off.

He rolled his eyes, "Yes… she was my wife. But back then she was dating Terra. They'd been together since middle school…"

"Oh… shit. So you guys were all friends?"

"No… not even close. Terra fucking hated me. I was, y'know… different than everyone else. I mean, look at me…"

That surprised me a little. This guy sounded like an asshole. "And Aqua?"

"She didn't hate me, but she didn't really talk to me either… she just followed him around wherever he went. I, however, was absolutely enamored with her. She was gorgeous… kind… I was in love."

"Aww!" I couldn't help but squeal, wrinkling my nose up, "That's adorable!"

He scoffed, "Yeah… right… I was too afraid of Terra to ever tell her. He was a big guy, and he was known for having a short fuse. He would've killed me. So instead, I kept my mouth shut and dated other girls…"

"Slept around, you mean?" I had to sneak that in there.

"Yeah, yeah… all right… I slept around…" he mumbled, "Anyways… we graduated and they moved out of town together to go to college. As you know, I stayed here and failed out of the community college. So… I thought I'd never see them again."

Wow, that was actually really good of him not to say anything. "Obviously you did though."

"Years later, yeah… I'd all but forgotten about her. Then one day she shows up at the shop I was working at needing help with her car and… everything came rushing back to me the moment I set eyes on her."

He was a mechanic… right… "So… you fell in love all over again?"

"Well, we sat down for a few minutes and caught up… that was when I found out that she was married to Terra and they lived out in Hollow Bastion."

"Jeez, that place is like a 3 hour drive from here… why would she come all the way out here to get her car fixed?"

He chuckled a bit, "I hadn't really thought about it then… I just buffed out the scratch on her car and sent her on her way. But then about a week later she showed up again wanting the oil changed. That time she stayed by my side the entire time I was working on it just talking to me. I was confused… when I checked her filter it was brand new!"

"Sounds like she just wanted an excuse to see you again," I suggested, on the edge of my seat now.

"Right… but she was married. So again, I did the work on her car and said goodbye."

I was chewing on my bottom lip, one of my worse nervous habits, "She showed up again, didn't she?"

"Yeah, a couple days later. She wanted her brakes done. I could see what was happening, so I invited her to lunch so that we could talk a little more privately. She confessed to me that she was in town because she was meeting with a lawyer to divorce Terra…"

"Then… why did she keep coming to see you?"

He smirked, "She told me that when she was looking for a mechanic to buff out the scratch in her car, she saw my name and remembered me from high school. When I asked her why she kept coming back, she eventually admitted that she'd always had a crush on me in high school. Apparently she liked the 'bad boy' vibe I gave off… But she never said anything because of Terra."

"Aww! So she always liked you too!"

Vanitas nodded, cracking a little smile, "Of course, she never knew that I liked her back then too…"

"Did you tell her?!" I was getting so invested in his story, but I knew something bad had to be coming.

"Yeah, Kairi… I told her. We were so filled with emotion and adrenaline… we ended up sleeping together that night."

I gasped, "While she was married, Van?! Really?!"

"Hey, don't yell at me! She was divorcing him anyways, and I never meant for it to happen!"

"So then what?"

He let out a long sigh, "Then… Terra showed up at my apartment about a week later and beat the living shit out of me. I guess she felt guilty and told him what happened… so he decided to take it out on my face. I was in the hospital for a week."

"Shit…" I mumbled, staring down at the table. "Did you tell the police?"

"No… I didn't feel like fucking with it. I had it coming, I guess."

"Kinda," I had to agree. "So?"

Van glared at me for that comment, "So I didn't hear from Aqua for weeks… I thought for sure I'd never see her again after all that. But then one day I opened my door to go to work and there she was… with all of her stuff."

"So she really left Terra?"

"She really did. She wanted to see what we had, so… I let her move in and we started dating and… you know the rest."

I couldn't believe how crazy his life had been. "Wow… So Terra fucking hates you, eh?"

"Yeah… he fucking hates me. If he knew what happened… if he knew she was gone… he'd kill me."

"He doesn't know?!" I exclaimed, my eyes going wide, "Terra, how could you not tell him that his ex-wife was dead?!"

He quirked an eyebrow, "Did you not just hear me? He would murder me, Kairi. I… I was supposed to take care of her."

"He deserves to know…"

"I'm sure he's found out by now! That's why I don't want him finding me!"

I huffed a little, crossing my arms over my chest. "You should tell him… if he doesn't know, he certainly needs to…"

"You want him to kill me, don't you?!"

"Van, think about it… if she'd still been with Terra when she died, would you want to know?"

He shrugged, "No… I'd be happily unaware."

"You're a fucking jerk, Van," I stood up and crossed the kitchen, completely floored that he would deny Terra his grieving. "One day this is going to catch up with you, and I hope you realize what a mistake you've made."

"It's not a fucking mistake, Kairi… It's self preservation."

I snorted, "You're full of shit. I can't believe I thought you could ever be a decent human being… It's more clear to me now than ever that you're nothing but a fucking beast."

"We all know what you think of me, you self-righteous bitch. I can't believe I just told you everything… you obviously don't care."

"Damn right I don't. Just… crawl back—"

"To the basement. Yeah. I got it," he cut me off, standing up to leave. "You know, Kairi… was fucking deluded to think we might become friends."

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 **A/N:** Aww! This chapter made me a little sad. It also took me twice as long to write because I didn't like how it came out the first time, so I went back and changed everything. Sorry for the wait!

Hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a review!

EtherealLove15


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N:** The inspiration is flowing with this one guys… hold onto your hats!

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 **Chapter Eight**

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"What the fuck?!" I screeched as my computer screen went black. The power had gone out, and I hadn't saved my fucking chapter. "Van…" I grumbled, knowing that he must've had something to do with it. Our fight earlier that night was still fresh in my brain, and I was furious as I grabbed the flashlight from the bottom drawer of my desk.

I stormed downstairs, grateful that Namine was already asleep so that I wouldn't have to deal with her whining. Heading to the basement door, I reluctantly opened it and descended into the lion's den. It took me a moment to find him, but I located him in his bedroom at his own desk with his laptop brightly illuminating his confused face.

"What the fuck did you do?"

The glow of his golden eyes was terrifying in the light of his computer as he turned to glare at me, "I didn't do anything, bitch."

"Every time the power has gone out in this house, it's been your fault. What did you do?" I repeated, standing in the doorway with a hand on my hip.

He stood up, suddenly towering over me menacingly, "It wasn't me. I was just sitting here watching a show on Netflix when everything went dead."

As if to prove his point, his laptop died and we were left with only the light from my little flashlight, which I pointed up at him, "I don't believe or trust you… What the fuck happened?"

The sting of his hand slapping me across the face shocked me so much that I almost didn't hear him growl, "Get the fuck out of my room."

"You… you fucking hit me!" I exclaimed, rubbing my reddened cheek.

"I'll fucking do it again if you don't get out!" he yelled back, his eyes burning into my body.

All of the anger inside of me was bubbling up and I stretched up and smacked him as hard as I could muster. But when I reached up to mimic it on the other side of his face, his hands caught my wrists and held them tightly above my head. "Fuck! Let me go!" I squirmed, watching the flashlight I'd dropped roll underneath his bed.

I could barely see him in the darkness, the only source of light now being the faint moonlight streaming in from the tiny little basement window. "Are you going to hit me again if I do?"

"Probably," I fought against his grip, losing my battle quickly.

In a split second, I found myself thrown up against the wall with all of his weight against me, my hands remaining pinned above my head held by just one of his own. The other was used to force me to look up at him, "Was I unclear when I asked you to leave?"

I tried to hold my ground, even in my embarassing position, "No, you were perfectly clear. But this is _my_ fucking house, and I'm not leaving until you tell my what you did to the power."

The hand under my chin suddenly grabbed me by the throat, effectively scaring the shit out of me. "You don't want to fuck with me, Pinkie. I can promise you that."

I whimpered a little, unable to force anymore words out of my mouth. I could breathe shallowly, but I was still choking and gasping for air.

"Why do you have to make things so fucking difficult? Every time I try to open up to you, you turn around and find something to yell at me for… Fuck, I wasn't even doing anything and you had to storm down here and start screeching at me! What the fuck is your problem? Can't you do anything but fucking bitch?!"

I still couldn't answer him. It seemed like he was losing it a little, and I was terrified that he was going to snap and murder me or something.

"I was completely dead inside… and then… you finally started to accept me and…" he trailed off, loosening his grip on my throat as he stared down into my eyes.

"Van…" I squeaked out, an intense feeling radiating through my body as I gazed back up into his.

I could see a million thoughts running through his mind and then suddenly… suddenly his lips were crashing down on mine in a deep, disturbing kiss.

I fucking hated it… I hated how it felt, I hated how it made me feel… I hated that I was loving it. I _hated_ that I was kissing him back. He dropped my wrists, the hand around my throat snaking up through my hair instead as he kept me backed against the wall. To my own dismay, I found myself wrapping my arms up around his neck as if I needed him to stay close.

When he broke the kiss I wanted to kick myself for the little whine that escaped my throat… but he wasn't done. He moved to my neck, working his way up to my ear in hot kisses. "I fucking hate you…" he growled into my ear, "I can't even fathom how much I hate you…"

"I… nghnnn… I fucking hate you too…" I panted softly, my chest heaving as I struggled to keep breathing steadily.

And then he was lifting me up and throwing me on the fucking bed as he crawled over me, his golden eyes full of all the hatred in his heart. My pajama shorts and panties were gone before I had a chance to object, slipped down my legs and tossed aside carelessly. "Lose the shirt," he commanded, and I found myself immediately obeying him. I was naked… I was naked in my brother in-law's bed, and the way he was looking at me…

"V…Van…" my voice trembled as I watched him shed his clothing as well. My eyes were glued to his body, studying every inch of him… every tattoo, every piercing—from his nipples down to his cock.

"Shut the fuck up," he told me, sitting up on his knees in front of me, "Get the fuck over here."

I scrambled to flip myself over, mirroring him as I sat on my knees before him.

"Fucking Christ…" he rolled his eyes, pushing me down onto my hands. What the fuck did he want from me? "Come on, are you really that fucking stupid? Suck it."

My eyes went wide and I recoiled, "N…no… I can't…"

"Are you serious? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" he raged with disbelief. I yelped as he grabbed my by the hair and forced my lips right up against the tip of his cock.

I kept my mouth shut tight, my heart pounding out of my chest as I shook my head, "Nuhuh…"

"Open your mouth, Kairi," he ordered me, gripping at my hair even tighter. When I continued to refuse, he slapped me hard on the ass, "Now!"

The second I opened my mouth to yelp in pain, he shoved his cock inside.

"If you bite me I'll kill you," he warned me, "Now fucking do something."

I wasn't having it. It was disgusting… and it was making me drool everywhere. I could feel his fucking piercing in the back of my throat making me gag.

"Fine… have it your way…" he grit out, using his grip on my hair to force my head up and down on his cock. He was pressing so far into the back of my throat that I was choking with every thrust. "God, you fucking suck at this… Turn around."

He flung my head away from him and I sputtered for a moment to regain my wits before again obeying him and turning around, "That was fucking disgusting…"

"Shut up," he told me again, grabbing my hips tightly and positioning himself behind me.

"God I hate you…" I spit some of his nasty precum out of my mouth, disturbed by the taste.

He smacked my ass again hard, "Are you trying to ruin my comforter, you dumb bitch?!"

"Aww, poor Van… he might have to do some laundry…" I sang sarcastically, earning myself another slap.

"Stop talking… I don't want to hear your fucking whiney voice anymore," he growled, rubbing the head of his cock against my disgustingly wet pussy.

"Are you gonna fuck me or just play around back there?" I taunted him, my body almost vibrating with hatred towards him.

All at once he slammed inside of me, his rather large cock pressing up against my cervix immediately. It hurt… but it also sent an amazing chill up my spine. Every movement he made was rough and uncaring as he started to thrust into me quickly. It was obvious that he didn't give a fuck if I was going to cum or not, but I was right on the edge.

His libido surprised me… he was lasting forever, and without any breaks… Sora had to pause every couple minutes just to make it worthwhile to even fuck.

"Fuck… Van…" I groaned, unable to keep myself from moaning.

"Ugh… I said shut up…" he mumbled, shoving my face forward into the pillows and continuing to ram his cock into me from behind.

My moaning was muffled, but it was loud enough that I knew he could hear me. Even he was making little noises of pleasure, though I could tell that he was trying to hide it to keep up his whole dominant vibe. I had to admit… as much as I hated him and despised what was happening… this was exactly what I'd been dreaming about for years.

"Damn it… Fuck…" he slowed down a little, making a few hard thrusts before finally slamming into me and cumming hard. That drove me over the edge and I felt my entire body tense up in an incredible orgasm as I cried out into the pillows in ecstacy.

When both of our bodies stopped twitching with pleasure, he pulled out of me and dropped onto his back beside me. "Shit…"

I turned over, my legs weak as I settled against the pillows, "What the hell...?"

"Don't get any ideas, Pinkie… that was nothing but a hatefuck."

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Finally! It happened! I've been waiting soooo long to write this chapter. Ooh, I hope you all liked it as much as I loved writing it. If you haven't listen to the Motionless in White song "Hatefuck," I strongly recommend that you go do that now. I could hear it in my head as I was setting the scene here. :P

Don't worry, there's plenty more to come! Pleaseeee review and let me know what you thought of their little hatefuck!

Bye!

EtherealLove15

x-x-x-x-x

 **Update:** Decided to throw in the lyrics to "Hatefuck" here, just so you can all get a feel of what's kind of going through Van's mind. (Also, I don't own this song.)

"Hatefuck"

I am an architect of difference, you are just a hole  
Oh how I love to hear you beckon and stripped to the bone  
But when I come around I come inside and just leave  
Because if I had a heart I wouldn't wear it on my fucking sleeve

You know you love it when we "oh oh oh"  
I want it dirty, with the lights on, filthy, vile, and obscene  
I wanna show you what a bitch I can be

You are an architect of ignorance, with nothing for a soul  
Now I'm the only thing inside of you, that you cannot control  
And when I'm through with you I'll just move on to the next  
Because I packaged it with love but I just used you for the…breath

You know you love it when we "oh oh oh"  
I want it dirty, with the lights on, filthy, vile, and obscene  
I wanna show you what a bitch I can be

Hate fuck, Hate fuck ,  
My little hate fuck, my little hate fuck  
Hate fuck, Hate fuck ,  
My little hate fuck, my little hate fuck

I am an architect of difference, you are just a hole  
Now I'm the only thing inside of you, that you cannot control  
And when I'm through with you I'll just move on to the next  
Because I packaged it with love but I just used you for the…

You know you love it when we "oh oh oh"  
I want it dirty, with the lights on, filthy, vile, and obscene  
I wanna show you what a bitch I can be

I fucking love it when we ugh ugh ugh  
I want it dirty with the lights off, cumming apart at the seams  
I want you to show me what a bitch you can be


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N:** So after a rather intense chapter, who's ready to find out what both of them think about their little tryst?

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Nine**

x-x-x-x-x

Round and round… I laid in bed watching the ceiling fan circulate slowly, a billion thoughts racing through my mind. I'd cheated on Sora… with his brother… who I didn't even like! What the fuck was I thinking…? And why the fuck did I want to do it again?!

I loved Sora. I truly did. But he could be so… boring sometimes. Sex with Sora was like… masturbating. It wasn't even necessary for the other person to be there. We had one position—missionary. Half the time my legs fell asleep, or worse—I'd fall asleep.

I'd love to say that the sex wasn't as important as my love for Sora but… being with Van was starting to change my opinion of that. I'd never slept with anyone else, and… God, what I was missing out on? It was amazing.

As much as I hated Vanitas, I couldn't even call what we did rape… I loved it. I loved how he took control… how he forced me to do things… I even loved it when he grabbed my hair or choked me. It was screwed up… but hatefucking Vanitas was the most fun I'd had in a long time.

"You can't sleep either, eh?"

I sat up in bed, "No… I can't stop thinking…"

"Yeah, I'm kind of having that problem myself," Van closed the door behind him, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"I cheated on my husband… and I feel horrible about that, but…"

"But you kind of want to do it again, right?" he finished my sentence.

I stared down at the comforter, fidgeting with my fingers, "I don't like you, Van… that's not what this is…"

"Fuck, I know that. But you liked fucking me."

I groaned a little, "Unfortunately yes…"

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it… I had fun too…" he mumbled, "So what? Do we tell Sora? Do we pretend like it never happened? What do you want?"

"We can't tell Sora… we can't. It would kill him…"

He shrugged, "All right, so it never happened. We'll just go back to hating each other."

"Right…" I sighed softly, "And it'll never happen again."

"Exactly."

x-x-x-x-x

"Vanitas!" I exclaimed in a hushed whisper as fucked me into the wall of my shower. Yeah, our willpower lasted about ten minutes after we agreed never to do this again.

"Shut up… we can't wake Namine," he slapped a hand over my mouth, thrusting up into me harder.

I couldn't believe that we let this happen… We'd said good night, he left and I decided to take a shower to help calm myself down… And then… he was there, and we were kissing and… and now we were right on the edge.

"Cum for me, Kairi…" he growled into my ear, "I want to feel it…"

His words sent a shiver through my spine and I stopped fighting it, giving in and allowing my orgasm to wash over me. He must have been extremely close because even he seemed surprised when he came immediately after I did.

And then we were standing there in the shower… panting heavily, bodies intwined… "Fuck… fuck it all… You belong to me now, Pinkie Pie… got it?"

"I… I…" I stammered a little, terried to say what I desperately wanted to, "Y…yes… I'm yours, Van…"

His lips were on mine again, and I promise it was no kiss of love. It was a contract… one that I'd just signed. He had my body and my mind… but Sora still held my soul.

x-x-x-x-x

"Did the power go out last night?" Namine stretched a little as she wandered into the kitchen.

I flipped my eggs in the pan, "Yeah… it was out for a few hours. We're not sure why."

"Weird…" she muttered, sitting down at the breakfast bar, "Sooo… Roxas invited me to meet his family tonight. Can I go?"

"I don't know, Nami… Van has to look at the brakes on the Impala, and I'm going out with Riku and Selphie tonight."

She whined a little, "But Aunt Kairiiii…"

"Quit your moaning. The brakes should only take me a couple hours if I have some help," Vanitas appeared in the doorway like he always did. That guy really needed to wear a bell.

"Aunt Kairi? Will you help him?" Namine begged me, giving me her most pitiful pout.

I snorted, "I don't know shit about cars!"

"I just need you to hand me stuff, Pinkie… it's not a rocket science," he looked at me with his disturbing golden eyes and I could almost feel his hands on me again.

"Ugh… fine…" I agreed, earning me a tight hug from Namine, "Jeez! …You really like him, don't you?"

She was beaming with joy, "Oh Aunt Kairi… It's just like you and Uncle Sora! It was love at first sight…"

I met Van's eyes, my heart sinking a little, "That's wonderful, honey… Just be careful, okay? And don't sleep with him! You wait until you're married one day, got it?" Okay, so I was feeding her bullshit… Sora and I slept together on our third date. But I had to try.

"I know, Auntie Kai… I'll be careful, promise."

"Yo, can I get some of that breakfast?" Vanitas slinked over to me, standing so close that I could feel his warmth.

Namine let go of me and took her seat again, and I looked up into his eyes, "Sure…"

"Are you two finally getting along? Thank God…" she scoffed, "I thought you two were going to kill each other last night."

"Don't get used to it… I'm sure that Van'll do something stupid to ruin it soon," I told her, shooting a smirk at him.

She frowned, "I knew it was too good to be true… I can't wait for Uncle Sora to come back…"

"You just want to show him off to your dorky boyfriend," Van teased her.

"Nuhuh, he's really cool! And he keeps you two from murdering each other!"

"Lies," he called her on her bullshit, "We'll murder each other regardless of Sora."

x-x-x-x-x

"So… those piercings…" I couldn't help myself. We were in the garage alone working on the Impala's brakes together.

"Yeah? What about them?" he seemed disinterested in the conversation.

I shrugged a little, "I dunno… did they hurt?"

That warranted an eyebrow raise from him, "Yeah, they hurt… But now I love them."

"Oh… so they make stuff …feel better?"

"Hell yeah… they made me hypersensitive to touch. It makes sex like twenty times better," he chuckled a little, "Why? Thinking of getting your own?"

I squirmed a little, "N…no! I don't think Sora would like that…"

"I don't think Sora would like anything that actually causes you pleasure…" he mumbled, sliding back under the car.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, though I knew he was kind of right.

I didn't even have to see him to tell that he was smirking, "I can take you to the chick that did mine. She's great… it's over in no time and it barely hurts."

"I think I'll pass…" I trailed off, staring out the window. "Van, this is wrong…"

He rolled back out and sat up, looking up at me, "I know, Pinkie, but… neither of us seem to have the self control to stop it."

"Well… I'm going to stop. It's not going to happen again," I stated, crossing my arms over my chest.

"We'll see, Pinkie… we'll see. I seem to remember you agreeing to be mine."

I shook my head, "I take it back. Never gonna happen."

He wiped his forehead, leaving a little black grease spot behind. I had to admit, he looked pretty sexy in his work clothes all covered in grease…

x-x-x-x-x

So… We fucked on the hood of the car.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Things are getting interesting! Quite an odd little relationship they have, isn't it?

Thanks for reading and keep on reviewing! What do you guys think is coming next? :3 I wanna hear!

Love you guys!

EtherealLove15


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N:** Sounds like Kairi needs a little lesson in willpower, huh? :P

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Ten**

x-x-x-x-x

"Aunt Kairi! Why are you covered in greasy handprints?!" Namine exclaimed from her spot on the couch. So much for trying to sneak by her.

"I… I fell on an oil slick and Van caught me," I lied, ghosting past her to go take a shower, "The brakes are fixed, so… you can take the Impala tonight."

My appearance in the mirror was a bit frightening… I had thick black oil stains in my hair, on my shirt, down my pants… God only knows where else.

This had to stop… whatever this attraction I had to him was, it needed to just… end.

"Kairi," Van's voice on the other side of the shower curtain scared the shit out of me, "You… you'll need a special soap to get that grease off…"

I looked down at myself, finding that even after minutes of scrubbing, I was still covered in it. "Okay… so…?"

And then he was in the shower with me, already rid of his clothes. He was holding an orange bottle of soap in his hand and giving me a rather sultry look.

"I'm not doing this again, Van…" I grumbled at him, turning away.

But he didn't grab me… or throw me against the wall and kiss me. Rather, he started massaging the orange soap over my skin where I was stained with his handprints. His actions were… gentle? But Van was never gentle… so why…?

"What're you doing…?" I whispered, my voice shaking a little.

"You're not going to be able to reach all of this yourself…" he reasoned, his large, calloused hands gliding over my back.

I relaxed a little and let him wash me, my eyes entranced by the black oil swirling down the drain. But my heart nearly stopped when I was suddenly pulled into his arms from behind, wrapped up in the warm embrace of a very confusing man. "Van…"

"Shh… Kairi, I can't keep my mind off of you…" his voice was soft against my ear, "I don't want this to stop… I need you to be mine… I want you to be my little… fucktoy…"

The moment that last word hit my ears I tore away from him, "Christ, Van! I thought you were going to tell me you had feelings for me…"

"Feelings of hatred and disgust, maybe…" he mumbled sarcastically, "I knew that would fuck with you. You were about to melt in my arms."

"If by melt you mean throw up the contents of my stomach, then sure," I rolled my eyes.

He leaned against the back wall of the shower, "I was serious about that last part. We've got the better part of two months together without Sora. Let me train you. Let me teach you everything you've been dying to know about the BDSM world. I know you want it."

"You're trying to ruin my marriage…" I groaned, very much inclined to accept his offer.

"We've had sex three times in the past twelve hours. I think your marriage is fucked either way."

"So you're asking me to give up the only love in my life to become some kind of… pet to you?" I tried to clear things up in my own mind.

He just shrugged, "Whether you tell Sora or not is up to you. I'm not technically asking you to give anything up. But yes, I want you to be my pet."

"I don't know if I can agree to that, Van… What if Namine catches us?"

"I'm not stupid, Pinkie Pie… Tomorrow is Monday, she'll be at school most of the day during the week. And I've got a feeling that she won't be spending many weekends at home either…"

I let out a heavy sigh, "Is this going to be painful…?"

"Probably. But I guarantee you're going to love every second of it."

Meeting his eyes, I nodded, "I'm in… I'll… I'll be your pet…"

x-x-x-x-x

"Kairi!" my best friend attacked me out of seemingly nowhere with a tight hug.

"Selphie! I missed you!" I giggled, hugging her back as Riku approached both of us. "And Riku! Come here!"

He reluctantly let himself get pulled into our hug, eventually cracking a smile and chuckling, "Good to see you, Kai…"

"This bar is so cool! What made you choose it?" Selphie wondered, glancing around at the whole atmosphere.

I swallowed heavily, "Uhm… a friend told me it was pretty awesome."

"Lies! You don't have other friends!" Riku teased me, poking me in the side. "Jeez, Kairi… you smell like a bag of oranges. Maybe lay off the perfume next time…"

I gasped and whacked him on the shoulder, "Hey! I'll have you know that I only smell like oranges because I helped replace the brakes on the Impala today and got covered in grease!"

Riku snorted, "Right… seriously, Kairi, just don't wear as much next time you go out."

"I'm not kidding!" I whined, "I seriously helped!"

Selphie looked confused, "Wait, so you helped the mechanic…? Isn't that his job?"

"Well no… not exactly. It was my brother in-law, Vanitas. He lives in the basement, remember?" Shit… why was I talking about him?

"So, like… you hang out with him?" she stared at me with a blank look.

"Ew, no!" I exclaimed, gagging a little, "He just needed me to hand him things."

Riku cocked an eyebrow, "Then how did _you_ get full of grease?"

"Why don't we get drinks?" I attempted to change the subject, gearing both of them towards the bar. We'd all been friends since we were toddlers, and I knew that if we talked about him for too long… they'd work the truth out of me.

I walked up to the bar and ordered the strongest drink I could think of, knowing that tonight would be a long night. I didn't hang out with Riku and Selphie enough… I knew that. Every time we met up it was question after question…

"Pinkie Pie?"

Fuck. _Fuck._ No… no, no, no, no, no… He's not there… he's not behind me… no… FUCK. "Vanitas…"

"What're you doing here? And why are you ordering yourself a drink that's going to put you in a coma?"

I grumbled a little, "I'm here with my friends, Van… Can we just pretend we don't know each other? Please?"

"Fuck no… you're going to dance with me," he grinned, standing up from his barstool.

"Oh, right… you're fucking hilarious, Van. Go to hell," I told him, grabbing my drink from the bartender and walking away to join my friends again.

By the time I reached them, my drink was already half gone and so were my senses. "Kairi, was that guy flirting with you?" Selphie asked, her eyes trained on Van.

"I'm married, Selphie. Did you forget?" …Did _I_ forget?

"Yeah, but… he's kinda hot… You should dance with him!"

Even Riku was nodding, "Dance with him!"

"Riku… how do you think Leon would feel about you dancing with another man?" I pointed out, wondering if maybe my friends were just insane.

"He'd get super jealous and probably fuck me into our bed," he shrugged, "Seriously, it's harmless… It's not like you're going to sleep with him."

I groaned, knowing that I wasn't going to win this battle, "All right… I'll ask him if he wants to dance…" I downed my drink, approaching Vanitas again. "Listen… my friends don't know who you are, and they're encouraging me to dance with you…"

He chuckled, giving me a little smirk, "So lets dance, Pinkie Pie."

I set my glass down as he took my hand and led me into the thick crowd of people already dancing. I wasn't much of a dancer, and I didn't expect him to be either… turns out I was wrong. He was pretty skilled, and I was actually having a lot of fun. I danced with him through a couple of songs before he grabbed me and pressed his growing erection into my back, making me shriek, "Van! Jesus!"

"Come to the bathroom with me…" he whispered in my ear, keeping me tight in his grip.

"No!" I shouted, wiggling myself away from him, "I… I'm going back to my friends…"

Riku and Selphie were staring at me as I came back over to them, "What happened?!"

"Uhm… nothing? We danced and then he tried a creepy pickup line so I bailed."

Selphie pouted, "Damn… men always have to ruin it by being creeps."

Riku scoffed, "Hey! Not all of us are creeps!"

"I meant straight men, _duh_ …" she sang, giggling and leaning on him.

"So… what have you guys been up to? It's been awhile!" I changed the subject again as we all crammed into a little booth in the corner.

Riku was suddenly beaming, "I think Leon and I might start looking into adoption."

My eyes went wide, "Wow, Riku! You guys want to have a kid together?"

"Well… yeah! We can't wait to start a family," he smiled widely, "We might even do like a surrogate thing."

"That's… amazing, Riku. But seriously, beware the teenage years. I've just about had it with Namine's drama!"

Selphie chuckled, "So you're still raising Xion's kid, huh?"

"You got it… And get this—she's got herself an 18 year old boyfriend now. I'm telling you Riku… get a boy. Girls are so fucking complicated."

He sighed, "Actually, I've always wanted a little girl… I know Leon wants a boy though. I guess it really doesn't matter to me, as long as we've got a family."

"And what're you up to, Selph?"

"Same old, same old… Tidus asked me to marry him again, but I still won't tell him yes."

I gaped at her in disbelief, "Why are you stringing him along, Selphie?! I mean, the guy has been in love with you since we were in diapers!"

"I know, but… I don't know if I'm ready to settle with him yet! I'm still so young…" she whined, staring into her drink glass.

"Uhm, hello? We're both married," I pointed out, "Well… sort of. They're in a commited partnership or some shit."

She huffed, "Yeah but…"

"Do you love him?" Riku asked her.

"Of course I do… he's… everything I ever wanted…"

I facepalmed, "So why are you wasting your time looking for something better? Just say yes! You're like… the perfect couple, Selph."

"Wakka told me he's in love with me…" she admitted under her breath, blushing deeply.

"Ew, really? Wakka? Come on, Selph, who's the better option?" Riku shook his head in disbelief.

She continued to stare downwards, not making eye contact with either of us, "I might have slept with him…"

"Oh, that's disgusting…" I gagged, trying to keep my drink down, "Why…? Just… why?"

"I… I don't know… we've always all been such close friends… they've always been the two main men in my life…"

Riku cleared his throat, "All right… so do you love Wakka?"

"N…no… not in a romantic way…"

"Then marry Tidus!" we both exclaimed, amazed that she's been putting herself through all of this turmoil. Not that I had anywhere to talk…

She nodded, finally looking up and making eye contact, "You're right. Tonight I'm going to finally do it… I'm going to say yes."

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Before you all chew me out, I know that Leon and Riku are a weird pairing… I didn't really have anybody left to choose from, so cut me some slack! :P

What do you guys think of her besties? Sounds like their lives are just as strange as hers is right now.

As always, keep reviewing!

Love ya!

EtherealLove15


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who has been leaving me wonderful reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. :)

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Eleven**

x-x-x-x-x

"Wh…what did you do?" Vanitas jumped down my throat the moment I walked in the door.

I shrugged, "I wanted a new look… so?"

"But… but your hair was so long…" he marveled, staring at me.

I'd just been to the salon, where I made the random decision to cut all my hair off. I was now sporting a stylish pixie cut, and I'd actually had one of the sides shaved down into a short undercut. "If you're saying that you hate it, I could care less. I love it. And I know Sora will support my choice."

"I don't hate it, actually… Is it more pink than before?"

"Yeah, I had her use a brighter pink color this time," I smiled, catching my reflection in the hall mirror. I loved my new look!

He chuckled, "Well… it suits you better than the long hair… But you should have told me you weren't going to be here today. I had plans for you."

"I don't have to report to you," I sassed him as I set my purse down on the table in the hall and joined him in the living room.

"Actually, you do," he stood up, looking down at me menacingly, "Do I need to go over the rules with you?"

I rolled my eyes and flopped down on the couch, "You're full of shit, Van."

I didn't know what was happening until I was suddenly on my knees in front of him with a headache. "Good, I can still grab you by the hair. I was hoping it'd still be long enough."

"Ow… fuck…" I mumbled, rubbing my sore scalp, "All right, what're your stupid rules?"

"First of all, you don't get to talk to me like that any more. It's time for you to start treating me with respect," he started, meeting my eyes as he spoke, "When we're alone you can address me as Sir, and when we're in public you're going to start being nicer to me. No more name-calling."

I scoffed, "That's fucking ridiculous, Van. If you want me to respect you, try doing something worth respecting."

"You're going to do it or suffer a punishment… and believe me, they aren't fun."

"Fine, _Sir_ …" I grumbled, scowling at him.

He just continued, "You're also going to do whatever I ask of you. If you trying arguing with me, I'll—"

"Punish me, got it…" I cut him off, seeing where this was going. It was going to be just like my book. I would obey him like a dog obeyed it's master.

"God, you're going to be tough to crack… My third rule is that I'm no longer confined to the basement. I can come upstairs whenever I want. But I can also beckon you downstairs when I need you."

I snorted a little, "You do that anyways, dipshit… I mean, Sir."

"Well you're not allowed to yell at me for it anymore. Or for anything… I'm sick of hearing you screech."

That pissed me off, but I bit my tongue. "Yes, Sir… anything else?"

"Not for now… let's go downstairs. I have something very important to teach you today," he said, beckoning for me to follow him into the basement.

I pulled myself up to my feet and went down after him, starting to doubt my decision to go along with this.

x-x-x-x-x

"Ow… Ow! You're hurting me!" I whined as he proceeded to tie my arms behind my back with rope, "It's pinching my skin!"

"Damn it, can't you ever shut the fuck up?!" he exclaimed, and I could tell he was on his last rope, "The questions were bad enough, but the whining! Jeez!"

I pouted a little, "But you're hurting me…"

"The point is not to make you comfortable… the point is that you can't use your arms now," he grumbled, rifling through a big plastic bin from under his bed.

"Okay… what am I not using my arms for?"

Suddenly the world was dark… the bastard blind-folded me! "If I tell you, you won't do it."

"Oh…kay…?" I was confused… but actually a little excited too.

"Open your mouth."

I grimaced, "Oh God, you're going to gag me aren't you?"

"…Sure. Open up," he repeated.

Even though I had a bad feeling about it, I opened my mouth and waited for whatever was coming. Of course it was his dick… I should've known right away.

"Don't fight it," he instructed, though there really wasn't a way I could pull back. My back and head were against the wall, so I was pretty much stuck… "For some reason you've always been terrified to do this… And yeah, I know that because Sora told me. Brothers talk. Either way… we're going to do this until you get over whatever strange fear you have. I'm going to completely desensitize you to sucking dick."

I whimpered a little, already starting to drool and resisting the urge to gag like I wanted to.

"Come on… just do it… It's already in there, you might as well…" he goaded me, running his fingers through my hair.

With half of my senses out of the picture, I was really in no place to refuse… I started to suck a little, running my tongue over the smooth surface. I had to admit… it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. It tasted weird, but not really bad…

"There ya go…" he mumbled after awhile, "Now… I'm going to take your blindfold off and untie your arms and you're going to do this yourself."

I blinked a little at the sudden blinding light of his bedroom, coughing a little as his cock finally left my mouth. As soon as he untied my arms, he laid down on his bed with his arms crossed behind his head, "C'mon now. Just do what you did before."

I stretched out a little before crawling up between his legs. But just looking at his hard cock made me nervous all over again and I faltered, "I… I don't think I can…"

"You can do it, Pinkie. You literally just did. Close your eyes if it helps…"

I took his cock into my hand and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before guiding my lips to it. And then… I was doing it. And I wasn't afraid. I even opened my eyes and looked up at him, of course only to find him grinning smugly.

"Have you conquered your fear, Pinkie?"

I pulled off for a moment to answer, "I… I think so… It's not that bad…"

"Good girl… keep going."

x-x-x-x-x

"Fucking hell, Van! You could have warned me!" I yelped, choking up some of his cum. My face was covered in it… I think I even felt some in my hair.

He couldn't stop laughing, "Holy shit… that was fucking hilarious!"

"You jerk!" I whacked him on the stomach, only able to open one of my eyes. "Good Lord, it's everywhere!"

"Hang on… I'll get you a towel," he said as he got up from the bed, still unable to stop laughing at me.

Though I couldn't help but chuckle a little either. I'm sure I looked absolutely ridiculous…

"So… a little helpful tip for ya, Pinkie… If I start cumming in your mouth, don't pull your head away. It doesn't just make it stop," he told me, handing me a hand towel.

I started to wipe my face off, "Yeah… I got that now, thanks. Might have been useful information _beforehand._ "

"On the bright side, you don't need to buy expensive moisturizer now," he snickered, sitting down next to me on his bed.

"You're soo fucking funny, Van," I rolled my eyes in sarcasm, wiping the cum out of my hair, "Damn it… I'm going to have to shower again and I just had my hair done…"

"Oh boo-hoo… and you're supposed to be calling me Sir," he reminded me.

I nodded, "Yeah, yeah… Sorry, Sir…"

"You're so enthusiastic… Your training for today is done… get out," he told me blatantly.

"Wait, but I didn't even get off! What gives?!"

He shrugged, "You learned a very important life skill today, isn't that enough?"

"…No!" I whined, pouting at him. "I put your dick in my mouth, the least you could do is take care of me!"

Van just groaned, "Oh, fine… come here, you brat…"

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I've been sick. D: This was kind of just a little fun transition chapter to get her training started, but the next chapter is going to be packed full of drama!

As always, keep reviewing and letting me know what you think! :)

Love ya!

EtherealLove15


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N:** Sooo the left side of my face is burning like hell and it's all puffy… I think I got bit by a spider! D: Woe is me… Anyways, what do I do when I'm in pain? Write! :P

Also, to answer some questions!

CataclysmicContingency: It's the haircut I'm currently trying to grow out, yes. :P But I just dyed mine from pink to a dark red/black. I suppose I'd sympathize with Kairi the most… though I usually don't like her. As far as adding more FF characters… Idk yet! If I end up adding them, it'll prolly be Cloud and Tifa. But don't count on it. :P I kinda make shit up as I go.

rudeyardveil: You didn't technically ask a question, but you brought up a good point. The "Sir" thing is supposed to be weird and awkward. He's trying to keep it as informal as possible, 'cause he has quite the different reaction when she says his name. (And it's not the reaction he'd like it to be. :P) But you'll see all about that soon! ;D

Also, if any of you have questions feel free to ask! I'll definitely answer them ASAP! :D

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twelve**

x-x-x-x-x

"Good morning, my love! How much have you missed me?"

I smiled at Sora over Skype, "Tons, darling! How's your trip going?"

He shrugged, "It's all right, I guess… I'm gonna be stuck here for awhile though."

"Really?" I pouted, "Why?"

"They've got me working on a trial project for the company we're trying to land. The work alone is going to take two months…"

"Damn it… I was really hoping you'd be coming home early for once."

He sighed, "I know… So how're things on your end? Nami and Van behaving?"

"Eh, mostly… I decided to let Namine date that guy she likes. Van and I had him over for dinner and got the down low on him."

"Wow, you and Van did something together? That's a first. I'm glad you two are finally getting along," he laughed, smiling brightly.

I felt like shit for lying to him… "I guess so… he's still being a jerk. But he did fix the brakes on the Impala. How did I never know he was a mechanic?"

"I dunno. Did I never mention it?"

"Must not have…" I mumbled, then realized that he hadn't even noticed my haircut, "Hey dork! Notice anything different?!"

He eyeballed me for a long moment before completely flipping shit, "Holy fuck, you cut all your hair off!"

"…Wow," I commented, "We've been together for 7 years and you didn't even notice right away that I was lacking 90% of my hair."

"But… but why did you cut it off? It looked so good long…" he pouted, and I knew immediately that he didn't like it.

I sighed heavily, "I'll grow it back out…"

"N…no… it's fine. I'll get used to it," he stammered.

Wrong answer, love. "You obviously don't like it, so it's fine…"

"I just don't get it… why is the side shaved?"

"I thought it would look cool! It's a trend right now…" I was less than thrilled with his reaction, "I love it…"

He frowned a little, "I… I just liked your long hair a lot is all."

"Hey, I gotta go… my boss is calling me," I said quickly, hanging up on him before he had time to react. I'd lied, of course… I don't really know what I thought he'd say about my hair, but it definitely wasn't _that_.

"Damn, Pinkie… That was rough… Are you okay?" I didn't even care as Van slinked into my office. I was actually a bit relieved to hear his voice.

I huffed a little, pissed off that Sora was such a jerk, "I just don't get it… even if he really didn't like it, he's not supposed to tell me! He's supposed to tell me I'm pretty no matter what!"

"He's insane if he doesn't see how gorgeous you look…" he said softly, watching me from the doorway.

I blinked a few times, "Did you just compliment me, Van?"

"You know you're not supposed to call me that…" he grumbled, turning and promptly walking away.

That threw me off. He never just walked off like that. …Something was up. "Van, wait!" I caught up with him in the hallway.

"What?" he bit, sounding kinda weird.

"What's wrong with you today, Van? You're being all silent and broody."

His jaw tensed up a little, "Stop… just stop."

"Stop what? I'm confused… are you mad at me?"

He turned to face me, suddenly looking frustrated as hell, "Leave me alone, Kairi… I'm going downstairs."

I stopped following him, standing in the upstairs hallway looking utterly confused. Did I do something wrong?

x-x-x-x-x

"Why are you crying?" he reappeared in my bedroom door about an hour later.

I sniffled a little, "You don't care… Stop pretending."

"Just tell me…" he mumbled, closing the door behind him and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

I pulled out my phone and showed him about twenty different messages from Sora—all of them asking if I was mad at him, but none of them apologizing for being shitty.

"Jeez… he's a fucking moron…"

"It's not even that I need him to like it… I'm not that vain… but…" I trailed off, trying not to start crying again.

"But you felt really beautiful, and for your own husband not to see that hurt… am I about right?"

I looked up at him, "You're smarter than people give you credit for, Van… including myself. I'm sorry…"

"Eh, don't be… I earned your opinion of me."

"Why were you mad at me before?" I wondered, pulling one of my pillows up to my chest and resting my chin on it. "Did I do something wrong? I mean, if it's about the whole 'Sir' thing, I've been meaning to talk to you about that… it's kinda strange."

He shifted a little, turning his gaze down to the floor, "I… When you say my name… it… makes me feel things…"

"Feel things? Like what?"

"Nothing… nevermind. Just forget about it," he said, fidgeting with his hands nervously.

I pouted a little, "You can tell me… What, does it piss you off? Do I say it weird? Or do you not like the nickname 'Van'? 'Cause I can call you Vanitas."

"N…no… I like my nickname… it's just…" he stammered a little, "You don't get it… it's fine. Drop it."

"Tell me!" I whined, poking at his arm annoyingly, "Pleeeease?"

He scoffed, "You're such a brat…"

"Soo… tell me?" I poked at him some more, "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Suddenly his hand was clamped around my wrist and my eyes were wide as saucers. I was in for it now…

As his lips came crashing down on mine only moments later, I fully expected it to be another vicious, hateful kiss… but it was the complete opposite. He dropped my wrist and pulled the pillow out of my arms, only to move closer to me and very gently caress my cheek as he kissed me with… what was it? Passion? …Care?

Even in my shock, I returned the sweet kiss with a little moan escaping my lips. As fun as it had been to make out with him angrily… _this_ made my stomach leap and churn in the best way.

"Van…" I whispered, needing answers immediately, "What…?"

I jumped a little as he wiped away a stray tear from my cheek, his golden eyes for once actually looking softly into mine, "Please stop crying…"

"Please tell me what's happening right now…" I chuckled a little, sniffling.

"I… I can't…"

"Vanitas… please…"

He pulled away from me, starting to fidget again, "You don't want me to tell you, Kairi…"

"That may be true, but it's kind of unavoidable now…"

"Damn it, Kairi! Why can't you just be horrible and let me hate you?" he burst out, startling both of us a bit.

I just stared at him, "I thought you did hate me. Isn't that what this all has been? Us taking out our frustrations on each other?"

"That's what it was supposed to be… And then everything I hated about you, I started to find cute and alluring… Even the way you screech at me… Now as hard as I try, I can't fucking hate you!"

"Van… what're you saying…?" my face went completely blank.

He finally made eye contact with me again, "Kairi… Despite my trying very, … _very_ hard to fight it… I—"

"Don't say it… I can't… you can't… Van, I'm married…"

"I need to say it, Kairi…"

I whined softly, "Please don't… don't make it real…"

"I'm in love with you."

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** And BOOM! The world explodes! :D


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N:** Hopefully everyone's minds have recovered after that turn of events! Hehe. I'm loving all of these reviews! You guys are awesome!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Thirteen**

x-x-x-x-x

"Aunt Kairi… have you been crying?"

I turned around, quickly wiping my eyes on my sleeve, "I, uhm… sort of, yeah… Sora and I had a little fight earlier…"

"Oh no… what happened?" she sat down on the couch, patting for me to sit beside her.

I set aside my Swiffer duster, curling up next to her. I was actually a bit glad that I had a reason to stop compulsively cleaning… I hated that I did that when I was upset. "He hated my hair… and he made no attempt to cover it up or apologize…"

"But your haircut is so cute! How could he hate it?!"

That made me chuckle a little, "Sometimes I'm really glad that there's another woman in the house… Either way, I'll be fine… he'll figure out eventually that he needs to apologize."

"You seem a little more upset than you're letting on," Namine pried further, "Are you sure that's all this is about?"

She was smarter than I gave her credit for… "I've also been having trouble with Vanitas…"

"Aunt Kairi… this is going to sound really bad, and I know it's none of my business… but I think he really likes you… and definitely not in an in-law kind of way…"

Much smarter, apparently. "You're absolutely right, Namine… In fact, he confessed to me earlier that he's in love with me."

"Holy shit…" she mumbled, "I mean… sorry… I just can't believe I was right. Roxas and I have been talking about it since the cook out. He noticed immediately."

"I forgot how observant teenagers were…" I laughed, laying my head in her lap.

She ran her fingers through my hair, something incredibly comforting to me, "Do you love him back? …Don't worry, I won't say anything to Uncle Sora… It's not my place."

"I… honestly, Nami, I'm not sure… We fight, but… there's a magnetism between us that I can't seem to break. I want you to know that I never meant for this to happen. I love my husband, I do…"

"You don't have to try to cover anything up, Auntie Kai… I understand that you haven't been purposely unfaithful to Sora…"

I looked up at her, "What exactly do you know, Nami?"

"I know that you two have been sleeping together. I'd only suspected it at first, but when you came inside covered in greasy handprints, it was sort of a dead giveaway…"

"Shit… I had no idea…"

She just shrugged, "It's okay… I get bored, so I pay attention. Like I said, I'm not gonna tell anybody…"

"I vastly underestimated you, Namine… I'm sorry. But I don't want to drag you into this… It's unfair for you to have the burden of my problems. But I do want you to know that whatever happens… you'll always have a home with me. I love you like you're my own, and I hope you know that…"

"Of course I do, Aunt Kairi! You've been more of a mother to me than Mom ever was, and I'm aways going to be grateful of that. That's why I wanted to make sure you were okay… And I know I'm only 16 and that I haven't lived nearly long enough to have this whole love thing figured out, but… the way Van looks at you? Sora's never looked at you like that."

I sat up and hugged her tightly, "Oh… what am I going to do, Namine? I'm so confused…"

"You know what I would do? I'd talk to my best friend. Why don't you call up Selphie and have her come over? She'll understand this better than I can," she suggested, "I might have figured out what was going on, but in the way of advice I'm pretty useless."

"You're absolutely right, Nami… I'm going to text her now," I said, pulling my cellphone out of my pocket. "Hey, so how are things with Roxas? Did your dinner with his family go well?"

She smiled brightly, "It was perfect… his family is so sweet, and I even got to meet his older brother Terra."

My eyes darted up to her, "Terra is in town?"

"Yeah. But don't worry, I didn't say anything about Vanitas to him. I don't know what the deal is with that, but he seemed really freaked out…"

"Did… did Terra mention anything about a woman named Aqua?" I wondered, my mind churning through the information.

She thought for a moment, "No, but Roxas did… he told me that Terra had a wife a long time ago but they got divorced. I guess she passed away last year… it was really sad. She even had a daughter with another man."

"But… Roxas didn't know who the other man was?"

"Nope… Terra never told anyone. I think his pride was too hurt to admit it. Why?"

I stared at my phone, sending my text to Selphie, "No reason…"

"…It was Vanitas, wasn't it?"

"Namine…"

She scooted closer to me, "No, tell me… That's why he's afraid of Terra, right? Because he stole Terra's wife and then she died?"

I started to chew on my lower lip, "I knew I shouldn't have said anything… Please don't tell anybody. Especially Roxas. I have a feeling that his sympathy will lie with his brother, and I don't think he'll be so willing to keep Van's location a secret then."

Her silence was making my heart race.

"Promise me, Namine… Van told me the story and he didn't steal Aqua… she turned to him for comfort after a very difficult marriage to Terra. He was never actively pursuing her… she pushed herself right into his arms and Terra put him in the hospital when he found out."

"Okay, I promise," she finally agreed, "I won't say anything to Roxas…"

"Thank you… and you know nothing, okay? Van… he's still very fragile about losing them."

She frowned a little, "So Vanitas had a wife and daughter… I never would have guessed…"

"Yeah… I can't really picture him as a dad either…"

"It'll be okay, Aunt Kairi. I'm going to support whatever decision you make."

I pulled her into another hug, "Thanks Nami… That means a lot to me."

x-x-x-x-x

"Kairi, no… are you serious right now?"

I blushed deeply, staring down at my drink, "It's been going on for about a week… but earlier this morning he told me he was in love with me."

Selphie just shook her head, looking up at the stars. We were sitting on the back porch in lawn chairs… drinking, of course. "I… I can't even fathom this right now… You've been with Sora forever. I mean, it's his brother… And isn't Vanitas like 35?"

"He's 34…" I mumbled, my cheeks flushing even more. Our age difference alone was insane.

"Jesus… that's 12 years, Kairi…"

"That's not really the point, Selph… the point is that he's in love with me and I can feel myself developing feelings for him as well…"

She groaned a little, "Damn it, Kai… I thought you hated the guy. You always told me that you never got along."

"We didn't! And then everything got all pent up into this ball of frustration and it sparked this strange connection between us. The first time we slept together we both chalked it up to a hatefuck and left it at that… but we didn't even last three hours before we were at it again."

"Wow… that's intense…"

"I want him all the time, Selphie… I used to hate having him around and now I find myself hoping that he'll come and bother me while I'm working…"

Selphie let out a long sigh, "It sounds like you've got it bad, girlie… But what're you going to do? Where's Van now?"

"I don't know… after he told me that he loved me, I couldn't find the words to respond with so he left… his truck has been gone all day. I'm actually a bit worried… mostly because I know that he doesn't have anybody else to turn to."

"And then there's the whole Sora thing…" she reminded me, "You're married, Kairi…"

I chuckled, "I'm fully aware of that, Selph… But part of me wants to use this time without Sora here to find out if I could have anything with Van…"

"What, so you play house with your brother in-law and then kick him to the curb when hubby comes home? That's insane, Kairi…"

"That's not… exactly how it would go. If we truly shared something then I would take the necessary steps to tell Sora… but if it ends up being some kind of little fling then… I don't see any reason to ruin my marriage over it."

"Damn, Kai… I mean, go for it. I don't exactly think it's a novel idea, but I also can't say it's a horrible one either. Just remember how you would feel if Sora did this to you. Imagine finding out after the fact that your husband fell in love with your sister and in your absence decided to divorce you. It would suck, yeah?"

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, "It would… but it's already escalated so far that I don't think I can just go back to the way things were without…"

"Kairi, I get it… it's just like my situation with Wakka. I had to see if there was something there before I could say yes to Tidus… Luckily I realized immediately that there was nothing but a bit of nausea and it was done. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now…"

"Ew, I still can't believe you slept with him…" I started laughing, "He's not a bad guy or anything, but… jeez, he's dumber than a box of rocks…"

She joined in on my laughter, "Right? He's a typical jock… all brawn and no brain. And he was horrible in bed, by the way. Just… selfish and quick and… awful."

"Sounds like Sora…" I admitted, "Things have been bad on that front for a long time…"

"I kinda figured. You guys don't seem to have the same passion you had back in high school."

Suddenly I found myself choking up a little, "I love him, Selphie… I do… but what if I'm not _in_ love with him anymore?"

She shrugged, "Then… you move on."

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** My sincerest apologies for the wait, friends! I had the strangest writer's block regarding this chapter and I think it's because there were about a million ways I could have resolved that cliffhanger. Either way, things are rolling again and the updates should start rolling out regularly again!

Thanks for the continuing support! Keep reading and reviewing.

-EtherealLove15


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N:** Everyone seems to feel so bad for Sora… Just remember, this is only the beginning!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Fourteen**

x-x-x-x-x

"You're home…" I gave Van a little half-smile as I leaned against the frame of his bedroom door.

He looked a bit surprised to see me, "Wow… I never thought you'd be the one sneaking up on me."

"Where have you been all day? It's nearly two in the morning…"

"I needed to get away… I was with an old friend," he said, closing his laptop and standing up, "I saw that Selphie was here… you left the blender out."

"Yeah, we had some margaritas…" I admitted, watching him pace to the other side of his room. "I… I did a lot of decision making…"

He threw a glance my way, "Yeah? Good for you…"

"Why won't you look at me? You're acting really strange, Van…"

"Because I know what's coming… so just get it over with and leave me alone…" he turned away from me, sighing heavily.

I took a step towards him, "No… just listen, Van—"

"No… Just… please don't break my heart…" I could see even from where I was standing how tense his jaw was.

So talking to him wasn't going to work, that was obvious… I grabbed him by the arm and turned him to face me, staring up into his eyes, "Do you want to know how I feel about you?"

He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

"Then shut up… and let me show you," I told him, pushing myself up onto the very tips of my toes to press my lips against his softly.

At first he seemed a little surprised, but then all at once I was wrapped up in the most passionate, delicious kiss I've ever experienced. When we finally broke the kiss, he looked like he was about to cry, "Kairi… are you serious?"

"I love you, Vanitas…" I spoke softly, the words feeling strange rolling off of my tongue.

He stared down at me for the longest time as if he was trying to make sure he heard me right… and then suddenly he cracked the biggest smile I've ever seen from him and scooped me up in his arms, laying me down on his bed and crawling over me.

"I've never seen you smile like that…" I whispered, gazing up into his golden eyes.

"Before now, I haven't had a reason to…"

I giggled a little, "Oh… by the way, Namine knows everything… and I mean _everything._ That girl is surprisingly observant."

"Oh jeez… she isn't going to tell Sora is she?"

"No… she said that she supports my decision whatever it is," I said, leaning up and giving him a kiss.

He bit his bottom lip, "And… what exactly is that decision?"

"Okay… so we have quite a bit of time before Sora gets home. I think we should use that time to see if we really want to pursue this and be together, or if we really did just get caught up in each other out of convenience. If we still want to do this by the time he gets home… we tell him. If it doesn't work out…"

"So… basically we're going to lie to him for the next two months…" he sighed, rolling onto his side next to me.

I turned to face him, pouting a little, "I don't feel great about that either, but… what am I supposed to do? End my marriage right now?"

"I mean… no… I don't know. He's my brother… and even though we've never been particularly close, I feel really shitty about this…"

"And you think I don't? I stood in a church with him and promised to love him and stay faithful to him… Oh God, everybody thought that I got married too young… I can hear my parents now! They're going to kill me! And you're so much older and… and…"

He cut me off with a kiss, which instantly calmed me down, "All right, Pinkie, you're hyperventilating… We'll just take a few days and enjoy being together… at the end of the week, we'll figure out what to do about Sora."

"Yeah… okay…" I yawned, my body starting to realize how late it was, "I… I should get upstairs to bed…"

"Stay," he offered, wrapping an arm around me, "It's been so long since I've slept next to someone…"

I thought about it for a moment, very much enjoying having his arm around me, "All right. I guess I can stay…"

"Perfect," he smiled, "Let me just get my pajama pants on… I don't really feel like sleeping in jeans."

I was already wearing my pajamas, so I just got myself all snuggled down under the covers. His bed was incredibly comfortable, and it smelled like him… sort of a mix of tobacco and …cinnamon? I could definitely tell that he'd been smoking a lot today—probably because he was so stressed out—but he never reeked of cigarettes or anything. It was just a faint scent… and a faint, yet rich taste on his lips. The thing I liked about his habit was that he didn't seem as much addicted to it as some people get. Like… he wouldn't walk away in the middle of a conversation to go smoke. He moreso did it on his own free time when he wasn't going to bother other people.

He also had one of those new vapor pen things… though his was like this industrial looking box mod and definitely looked more manly than the thin pens. I think that's where the cinnamon scent came from… Either way, he smelled amazing.

"Are you smelling my pillows?"

I looked up at him sheepishly, biting my bottom lip, "Uhm… sort of? You always smell really good…"

"Ah," he nodded, grabbing his box mod off of his desk. He took a deep inhale and suddenly the room was flooded with the scent of cinnamon apple pie. "Like that?"

"Oh my gosh, yes… does that stuff taste as good as it smells?"

He tossed it towards me, "Go ahead and try it. Just hold that button on the side down and inhale slowly. _Slowly_. If you go too fast you're going to cough up a storm."

"Is… is it bad for you?"

"Nah… it's not like cigarette smoke or anything. It's just vapor. I mean, it's got a bit of nicotine in it… but not enough to be habit forming. I promise, it won't hurt you or give you lung cancer or anything."

I shrugged and put the tip up to my lips, pressing down on the button and taking a nice, slow inhale. The intense flavor rolled over my tongue smoothly, the vapor even a bit warm like a fresh apple pie.

"And then just… exhale through your mouth or nose," he instructed, watching me with a Cheshire grin.

I pulled the device away and started to blow out slowly through my mouth, vastly enjoying the way the vapor poured out in little white billows.

"So? Taste good?"

"It tastes amazing! I can see why vaping would just be kind of relaxing…" I smiled, examining the little box. It was kind of heavy, about the size of my palm… "So… is this part like the battery?"

He nodded, "Yepp, and then the cylinder at the top is what holds the liquid. When you run out, you just refill it. There's a million different flavors, everything from fruit to candy to alcoholic beverages. This one is by far my favorite."

"Hm… they make these smaller, right? Like the size of a pen?"

"Sort of, yeah. The box mods are for heavier vapers that need the battery power. Why? Thinking about getting one?" he chuckled, taking his back.

I just shrugged again, "I dunno… maybe. It's kinda fun…"

"Well here, don't waste your money. I've got my old starter pen you can use. Decide if you really like it or not," he told me, starting to rifle through his desk for it. "I'll get it set up for you tomorrow, change the head and all that… You can even look through the flavors I've got."

"Ooh… okay!" I chirped, nestling down into the bed. It wasn't like me to start bad habits like that… but this one did seem like one of the more harmless ones. And if he wasn't using enough nicotine to get addicted, I'd probably be fine. It'd be just like chewing gum!

Sora would kill me if he knew about it… he didn't even like it when I drank with Selphie. But I just didn't have an addictive personality! The only thing I've ever really craved was …Vanitas.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** So first of all, I am NOT condoning anybody to start smoking or vaping. Even with a low nicotine level, it is very possible to get addicted and I don't want this coming back to bite me in the ass. Yes, I do vape. I am not addicted, but I find it enjoyable and relaxing. Does this mean I think everyone should do it? Not at all. Use your own discretion please… And don't yell at me for including it in my story! There have been tests that say it is harmless, there have been tests that say it isn't… I don't know what to believe, and that's why I'm adding this disclaimer. I'm not an expert!

With that aside… it's nice to see Van and Kai getting along now, isn't it? How long do you guys see it lasting? :P So much drama to come!

Thanks for the reviews! You know how much I love 'em!

-EtherealLove15

(Also, would you guys be upset or confused if I changed my tag from EtherealLove15 to something else? I'm not feeling it anymore… not sure why I chose it in the first place really.)


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N:** I return! Maybe with a new user ID? I don't know yet! I just posted my last chapter two minutes ago! ;P

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Fifteen**

x-x-x-x-x

I'd almost forgotten where I was when I stirred the next morning, my eyes fluttering open to find myself in a bedroom that was very much not my own. I was laying on my side in Van's arms, his warm body snuggled up to me from behind. I definitely wasn't used to actually cuddling all night… Sora could never sleep like that.

I, however, had the best sleep I've had in a long time… and it seemed like Vanitas was really out as well. It was cute—he snored just the tiniest bit. Not enough to be annoying or keep me up… it was actually a rather relaxing little white noise.

He had me trapped, but I didn't mind. I was perfectly happy laying with him until he woke up. I didn't even know what time it was and my phone was charging upstairs in my office. It didn't matter… time never mattered when I was with him.

It was hard to believe how much he'd irritated me even just last week. I have no idea when I suddenly turned it around into love, but… getting to know him better helped a lot with that. Deep down, underneath that tough looking exterior, he was actually a really sweet guy. He was a family man, he had a passion for his profession, he wasn't afraid of hard work… Yeah, he was a little derpy… he did stupid shit like blowing up the microwave and losing the car, but now even all of the things I'd previous screamed at him for just seemed cute to me.

And he called me beautiful… when my own husband wouldn't. I actually believed him too… I never totally bought it when Sora would say it.

"Mm… good morning doll," Vanitas leaned forward and planted a kiss on the back of my neck, effectively sending a shiver down my spine.

I turned over to face him, biting back a huge grin, "Morning… I was just thinking about you."

"Yeah? Should I be flattered or offended?" he teased, pecking me on the lips.

"Hmm… flattered, I think. I was kind of running through all the reasons you make me happy."

He chuckled, his eyes still looking a little sleepy, "Care to share?"

"Nooo… it's embarrassing!" I squealed, pulling the blankets up over my head.

Van yanked them back down, "Tell me! I really want to know."

"All right… So I wish that I'd gotten to know the real you right away because you're just so different than I always thought… I had no clue that you were a family guy, or… that you really loved being a mechanic… I mean, just watching you work on the car I could tell how happy you were. And you aren't afraid of the really difficult, dirty work. And I like that even when you're being a little derpy… you just own it. You don't let shame or embarrassment rule your life. Plus, you're just sweet. You tried to cover it up, but I know that you called me gorgeous yesterday… and all along you've been hinting that Sora doesn't treat me right, that he doesn't appreciate me enough. And you're right… You've always been right about that. Oh, and I love that you always stand behind your opinions no matter what. Like when we were arguing about our cars, or… when you were trying to convince me that I'd like the pork you were going to grill. You don't give up on stuff… I wish I could be more like that."

He smirked a little, "Now wait a minute, Pinkie Pie… this is coming from the girl that openly watches My Little Pony and listens to heavy metal. I'd say you're pretty set in your opinions as well. That's actually one of the things I like about you. I used to find in incredibly obnoxious that you could argue about literally anything… but then I realized that you do it because you're passionate about yourself. I feel fully confident that you wouldn't need me to come to your rescue in an argument, that's for sure. I like that strength… it's refreshing. Most girls just roll over and take whatever men give them."

"Well, I still do that when you get all dominant with me… it's like you shut my brain off."

"That's different. I like it when you channel your inner submissive with me," he grinned, "It's a sign that you trust me, you know. Even when you thought you hated me, your body knew that I wouldn't hurt you… otherwise you would have fought me off the first time we slept together."

I blushed a little, "Wow… you're right. I guess my subconscious knows me better than I know myself."

"I… I'm sorry that our first time together was so…"

"Hateful?" I offered, giggling a little, "Don't worry about it… It was actually really thrilling and fun."

He lifted an eyebrow, "Even when I forced you to suck me off?"

"Yeah, even then," I laughed, poking the end of his nose playfully.

"I got caught up in the moment…" he admitted, his cheeks flushing a deep red.

I shrugged, "I know. I liked it."

"So you really do like being forced to do things, huh? You weren't just going along with it?"

"Mhmm…" I mumbled, covering my face up with the blankets again.

He chuckled, pulling them down and pressing a kiss against my lips, "Don't be embarrassed… You don't have to hide anything from me. Just be yourself… I'm going to love you no matter what."

My heart leapt up into my throat when he said that, "Wow… I've really got to get used to that."

"You'd better. I'm going to keep saying it as long as you'll let me. And as much as I hate thinking about it… if you choose Sora over me, please know that I'll bow out gracefully. I don't want to make you hate me again, and I don't want to completely ruin things with the only family I have left that still talks to me. I thought about it a lot before I went to sleep last night… and it's your decision. If you choose him, we don't have to tell him. I'll just… keep to myself."

I stared into his eyes, the thought of losing him making my heart hurt. "Van… I just need time to decide. I'm trying to choose between my marriage and… and something much more destructive. Please… please understand that."

"I know, Kairi… take as much time as you need. Until then, I don't want to think about it anymore. I just want to enjoy the time I have where you only belong to me," he smiled very softly, pulling me in close and kissing my cheek.

I had no idea what I was going to do. Every moment I spent with Van made him seem like the better choice, but at the same time… Sora was my high school sweetheart. We fell in love immediately and I'm not sure if I can turn my back on that.

"I love you, Vanitas…" I mumbled, burying my head into his bare chest. Everything about him was warm and comforting… I could stay like this all day.

"Hey, how about we take a nice warm shower? We can wash away all of our stress," he suggested, running his fingers through my hair.

I couldn't help but laugh a little, "All right… but I have to wash my hair in ice cold water so that my pink doesn't run out."

"Oh jeez… the things you women do for beauty…" he rolled his eyes, pulling away from me and stretching out, "You get to do that first then… I'll join you once the water is searing hot the way I like it."

"…Is your shampoo sulfate free?" I asked him, knowing that he'd have no idea what that meant.

He looked at me curiously, "Is that like a scent or something? …'Cause it just smells like shampoo."

"Yeah… how about we go to my shower? I need my product," I pulled myself to my feet, turning from side to side to crack my back.

"I'll be up in a few… I'm going to check my email first."

I nodded, hopping over to give him a kiss before heading upstairs. I felt like… like I was floating or something. I just couldn't stop smiling.

Vanitas made me unequivocally… undeniably happy.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Just another little fluff chapter to make you guys fall for the Van/Kai pairing even more! :3 I couldn't resist the cute, and I wanted to elaborate into their feelings more than just, "I love you!" "Oh, I love you too!"

I'm going to wait until I get more feedback to change my User ID. I want to make sure you guys aren't going to mind. I love my viewers after all!

Keep an eye out for more, and keep on reviewing! I love you guys… I really do. I'd be nowhere without all of your support.

Thanks! –EtherealLove15 (for now!)


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N:** I'm sure you've all noticed my name change by now! There's going to be a full description on Rexene on my profile, but she's basically my Nobody.

Onto the story!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Sixteen**

x-x-x-x-x

"Ohh this is weird…" Namine commented as she walked into the living room, where Van and I were watching TV together on the couch.

I sat up, giving her a sheepish look, "Sorry… We can go somewhere else…"

"Oh no, don't let me ruin the peace," she laughed, "But what you can do is say yes to what I'm about to ask you!"

"…What?" I wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Soo… Roxas is outside in his car. Can he come in and help me with my biology homework?"

I chuckled, "Of course he'd already be here… Sure, that's fine. But you can sit in the dining room or at the breakfast bar. You're not going to your bedroom."

"Yay! Thanks, Aunt Kairi!"

While she went to retrieve her boyfriend, I settled back against Van, "Well… that couldn't have been more awkward…"

"Oh, I have a feeling it'll be worse in just a moment…" he mumbled, looking at the front door nervously.

"Hello Mrs. Hikari! …Er, Kairi…?" Roxas announced as he walked into the house. When he saw us, he stopped dead in his tracks, "Oh… Hello Vanitas."

Namine quickly ushered him into the kitchen, "Shh! I'll explain everything…"

Van just laughed, waving to the dorky blond, "Yo Roxas! How's it goin'?"

"Uhm… good?" he yelped as he was dragged into the kitchen by his backpack.

I looked up at Van, unable to stop giggling, "You still scare the shit out of him, you know…"

"Somebody needs to. It'll keep his paws off your niece. In fact… now that we have a guest for dinner, we should probably start cooking."

It was adorable how protective he was over her, even though he really wasn't related to her in any way. "I do think you're correct. What shall we have?"

"I say we go look through the cabinets, yeah?" he smirked, pulling us both up to our feet and heading for the kitchen.

The moment Roxas saw us he jumped up and moved across the table from Namine, making her pout, "Hey! What're you two up to?!"

"We're going to cook dinner!" I snickered, rifling through the fridge.

"Oh perfect…" she grumbled, flipping open her biology book.

Van chuckled, "Hmm… what should we make?"

"Pasta? There's some tortellinis in the fridge," I suggested, throwing them onto the counter, "I don't think we have any sauce though…"

"Damn, but that sounds really good… We can run to the dollar store and get some."

Namine perked up, "Yeah! Why don't you guys go get some? We'll be fine here."

"Ooh, nice try blondie… You go, Pinkie, I'll stay here with the lovebirds," Van said, sitting down right next to Roxas at the breakfast bar. The two of them barely even fit on the bench together, and Roxas looked immediately terrified.

"Sounds good!" I chirped, grabbing my bag and heading out. It was so weird… this felt more family-like to me than Sora ever did. One, he'd never ever let me in the kitchen while he was cooking… Two, he'd never just hang out with Namine like that, nor would he really give two fucks what she was up to… And three? He wouln't have me leaving the house with butterflies in my stomach.

x-x-x-x-x

Later that evening I found myself sitting alone in my office, working on my novel and enjoying the vape pen that Van had set up for me.

But of course, because I'm ever so lucky… the moment I took a deep inhale of vapor, Skype started ringing with a call from Sora. And of course… because I'm ever so smart, I answered it before I exhaled.

"Finally! Do you know how long I've been trying to get ahold of you?" he asked, his face popping up on the screen.

I panicked, leaning down under my desk and exhaling the vapor out. I popped back up into the screen, "Uhm… sorry, I was busy with Namine and Roxas."

"What's all that smoke…? Were you smoking, Kairi?!"

I looked in the corner where my screen was, and sure enough… white clouds of vapor were filling the air behind me. "Uhm… no! Of course not. I… I just blew out a candle."

"That's a lot of smoke from one candle…" he lifted an eyebrow suspiciously.

And then suddenly I could see Van walk into the room wearing nothing but pajama pants and examining a bottle of something, "Hey Pinkie, is this shit lotion or not? It's all written in French, and I need to hydrate my newest tattoo…"

Again, Sora was looking at me suspiciously and I freaked out and threw my notebook at Van, "Get the fuck out of here! What the hell are you doing going through my stuff?!"

He looked incredibly confused in the most adorable way… and I felt really bad about yelling at him. But when he saw Sora on the screen, his eyes widened and he gave us a sheepish smile, "Hey bro… how's it going?"

"I see nothing has changed between you two at least…" he smirked, "Quit taking my wife's stuff and go back downstairs!"

"Right… can I use this, please?" he asked me, waving the bottle in my face.

I rolled my eyes, "Not for a tattoo, dumbass… it's fraganced. Look in the top drawer of my dresser, there's some unscented lotion in there that's written in English. I used it for my tattoo."

Sora sneered, "I still wish you wouldn't have gotten that thing…"

"At least it makes sense! Besides, I love it…" I grumbled, running my hand over the tattoo on my outer thigh. It was a huge feathered quill pen dipped in an inkwell with little ink drops below it. I mean, I'm a writer! How much more thought out could it be?!

"I think it's cool…" Van offered from the doorway.

Sora looked over at him, "Nobody asked for your opinion, Vanitas. Now go away. I need to talk to Kairi."

"Fine… damn…" he raised his hands up in surrender, backing out of the room. I could hear him rifling through my dresser in our bedroom across the way.

"All right, Sora… now that you've accosted your brother, what do you have to say to me?" I asked, fully expecting an apology.

His jaw tensed up a little and I knew immediately that I was sorely mistaken, "Why haven't you been answering any of my calls or texts?"

"Gee, I don't know… maybe because last time I spoke with you, you were an absolute jerk?"

"I wasn't being a jerk! I'm not the one that made a huge decision to alter my appearance without talking to my husband!"

I glared at him, "Wow, Sora… just wow…"

"You don't get to be mad at me, Kairi. How would you feel if I decided to just shave my head bald one day?!"

"I don't think it'd look that bad. And I wouldn't mind anyways because hey… we're supposed to love each other no matter what!"

He scoffed, "Right, like you wouldn't freak out… What, so you'd rather me lie to you and pretend I think you look adorable or something?"

"It's a haircut, Sora… And if you hadn't been a jerk about not liking it then maybe I wouldn't mind so much. Besides, everybody else loves it… even Vanitas!"

"Because you care so much what my fucking brother thinks… You hate him!"

I couldn't handle him right now… "You know what, Sora? He told me everything. He told me about Aqua and Maisie and… Van and I are really good friends now!"

He just stared at me for a moment. I actually thought the screen had frozen there for a second, but eventually he just started laughing, "Wow… Okay… So you're best friends with my idiot brother now? I'm glad you pity him so much that you can finally get along."

"I don't get why you're always so mean to him! I'm starting to think that the only reason I didn't like him before was because of you!"

"Why are you suddenly defending him to me? He's my family, Kairi. Did you forget that I grew up with him and might have a good reason not to like him? Our own parents won't talk to him!"

If he wasn't halfway across the country, I'd punch him… "I'm defending him because-!"

"Sora? Who's that girl in the screen?" a very foreign sounding woman walked into the picture, squinting at his computer.

"…I'm his wife. And who is this lovely lady?" I turned my fake smile to Sora.

She just looked confused, "Wife? What is this wife? My English… not very good."

"This is… my assistant. She's helping me with the project," he tried to shoo her away as he spoke.

"Oh… right… So what does Sora do for a living?" I asked her, trying so hard to bite my anger back.

She thought for a moment, "He does the computer thing, yes? Oh, he's always sitting with his technology…"

Sora facepalmed, "Kairi, wait… it's not what you think—"

"Sora, I'm going to offer you some advice… hang up before I reach through the screen and strangle you," I growled in a flat voice.

He started to babble incoherantly, desperately trying to cover his ass, "Kairi… Kairi just listen to me!"

"You know what, Sora? Don't even bother coming home. I'll just ship all of your stuff to …what country did you find her in?"

"Stop it, Kairi! You're totally wrong! This isn't what it looks like!" he rambled, "Don't hang up, just let me explain!"

I hovered the mouse over the "end call" button, but I couldn't hang up just yet… "Sora?"

"…What?"

"I'm in love with your brother."

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Well there's one video call that was doomed from the beginning… So it's all laid out on the table now, huh? Anybody else curious if Sora was really sleeping with the foreign chick? Or was It a huge misunderstanding? I'm just gonna let you all digest that one… ;P

Still loving all of you guys! Especially twenty-twenty-one who's always been my most super faithful reviewer of Beast in the Basement! Thank you! :D

Sending love from my very new user ID,

 _Simply Rexene_


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N:** Hopefully I didn't hurt you guys too much with the bomb I dropped last chapter! Let's visit the aftermath. ;P

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Seventeen**

x-x-x-x-x

"You what…?"

"I'm in love with Vanitas. We're… in love."

Sora let out a bark of laughter, "Yeah right… like I'd ever fucking believe that. Nice try, Kairi."

"I'm not joking! We slept together… a few times," I told him, upset that he wouldn't even believe me. I was confessing here!

"Is this your fucked up way of trying to get even with me for whatever you think I did? Because if I were you, I'd choose a better lie next time."

I growled in frustration, "Van, come here!"

He came running in, "What's wrong?!"

"Sora has acquired himself a Russian supermodel to fuck, and now he won't believe me when I tell him that we're in love."

His eyes went super wide, "You told him? Holy shit… Bro, don't kill me… it wasn't my fault, I… I couldn't help it, I just… fuck…"

"So you were serious?!" Sora shouted, standing up and nearly knocking the camera off his computer, "What the fuck, Kairi?! Did our vows mean nothing to you?!"

"Says the man with the whore in his hotel room!"

The brunette in the background perked up, "I am not this whore you speak of!"

"Oh, so she knows the word 'whore' but not 'wife'? Wonder how many times she's heard that…" I mumbled, glaring at her, "He's married, you fucking dumbass! We're married!"

"But you love tall brutish man in the screen? Does not sound like marriage…"

Van took offense to that, "Brutish?! Who the fuck are you, anyways?!"

"Stop yelling at her!" Sora exclaimed, "Vera, go back to the bedroom…"

"Oh yes, send her to bed to wait for you!" I was furious… I couldn't even see straight I was so mad.

Vera whined obnoxiously, "Come with me, Sora… Turn off the angry shouting people…"

"Oh no, honey… why don't you just go away so I can keep yelling?" I suggested, "What the fuck is this, Sora? Just tell me what the fuck it is!"

"I don't owe you any kind of explanation! You've been sleeping with my brother! And how the fuck long was that going on, by the way?! Before I even left?!"

"Well I don't know! When did you meet your Russian whore?"

Sora laughed sarcastically, "At least Vera can give a blowjob!"

"Oh, you fucking—"

Vanitas put his hands on my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down, "Just hang up, doll… You're running in circles with each other…"

"Get your hands off my wife!" Sora looked like he was ready to leap through the screen.

"You don't get to call me that anymore! Go marry your bitch!" I screeched, finally just hanging up the call.

I stared at the blank screen for a long moment… I think I was broken. Eventually Van turned me to face him, "Kairi… are you okay?"

"I… I'm not even sad. I'm just furious that I spent so much time feeling bad when… God knows how long he's been sleeping around his business trips…"

"So… what does this mean?" he wondered, meeting my eyes.

I sighed heavily, "It means… I'm done with him. And that we can be together for real, no secrets or hiding."

Suddenly he was scooping me up out of my chair and twirling me around in a circle, "Good, because I can't wait to show you off to people!"

I giggled, hanging onto him as he spun us around, "Ah! Van, you're going to drop me!" I squealed, clinging tighter.

"The only place I'm dropping you is in the bed… and then I'm going to show you how happy I am that I really and truly have you all to myself!" he announced as he marched into my bedroom, tossing me down on the bed and jumping on top of me.

I smiled up at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and getting ready to pull him in for a kiss… but then something caught my eye. "Wait…" I mumbled, reaching up and pulling my wedding ring off. I brought it back down between us, examining it for a moment, "I never want to see this again…" I told him, chucking it across the room.

"I love you, Kairi…" he whispered, gazing into my eyes.

"I love you too, Vanitas…"

x-x-x-x-x

It was around midnight when my phone started ringing off the hook. I reached over and grabbed it before it could wake Van up, untangling myself from his arms and heading across the hall to my office. Sora was texting me… repeatedly.

 _Kairi, baby, I'm so sorry for everything I said…_

 _I'm not sleeping with Vera… she's my client's daughter, I'm supposed to be keeping her occupied…_

 _I panicked when you said you loved Van, that's why I said those things!_

 _Please answer me, Kai… I love you so much._

 _Tell me you don't love him… Please…_

 _Kairi, I can't do this. I need you…_

 _Call me… please just call me. Please!_

I was going to ignore him, but I couldn't help myself. I had to reply.

 _How convenient, Sora. Now you've had some time to think of an excuse, huh?_

He replied immediately.

 _Call me… talk to me… let me explain!_

I sighed, walking downstairs to the kitchen and calling him. "…I'm listening."

"Kairi, oh God… it's so good to hear your voice…"

"Explain," I bit out coldly.

He sounded like he'd been crying… "I'm not lying, Kairi… Vera is my client's daughter. He asked me if I could keep track of her for the night. She's 18, for God's sake! I'd never sleep with her… or anybody but you! He's been having trouble with her going out and partying with her friends… I had to agree! I only said that thing about the blowjob 'cause I was pissed off about you and Van…"

"And that's why she was begging for you to come to bed with her? I'm not buying it, Sora…"

"She was probably bored! I took her phone away like her father told me to! I don't know, I don't speak Russian brat!"

I just scoffed, "Right… Goodbye, Sora."

"No, wait! Just… is it real? Are you really with Vanitas?"

"Yes, Sora… that was true. I'm sorry, but I just fell for him…"

He let out a sob and I almost felt bad… "Fuck, Kairi… no… why him? Why my brother?"

"I didn't choose for this to happen, Sora… but it did. Regardless of whether or not you slept with someone else… Van and I are together now. We're through."

"No… Kairi please don't do this… don't end it…"

I bit my bottom lip hard, trying to hold back tears of my own, "He makes me feel… like you never have, Sora. I know that back in high school we thought we were perfect for each other, but… I've seen what that is, and it's just not what we had… We're so, so different…"

"Fuck… No… I can be better for you, Kairi. I can do better! Just let me show you… let me prove it to you!"

"It's too late, Sora… Tomorrow I'm going to take some of your stuff to your parent's house. You can go there when you get back…"

He sniffled loudly, "You… you're kicking me out?"

"Just… until we can figure this out… I can't send Van there, so… yeah, I'm kicking you out."

"I can't just let our marriage end, Kairi… How… how can you just throw this all away?"

I sighed, "It's true love, Sora… I can't just ignore it."

"Well you can't just ignore me either, Kairi. I'm going to fight for us. I'm not letting go this easily…"

"You know what, Sora? I let go of it the moment I hung up on you earlier… and I feel a hell of a lot better for it. I'm sorry, but I need to go… …Goodbye, Sora," I whispered, my voice starting to shake a little.

"I love you, Kairi. I love you so much… and you're absolutely the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen… and I… I don't want to say goodbye…"

I shut my eyes really tight, trying to hold it in until I was alone, "I'm hanging up now… Good night…"

"No, Kairi, don't—"

I started sobbing the moment I hung up, feeling absolutely terrible for jumping to conclusions before.

"Kairi… what's wrong?"

I looked up to find Van standing in the doorway of the kitchen looking sleepy, but concerned. "He wasn't sleeping with her… and I just viciously broke his heart for no reason…"

"Oh fuck… Kairi…" he immediately set down next to me, taking me into his arms.

"He explained everything… she was his client's daughter… he was fucking babysitting her for him…"

Van sighed, "Oh shit… so…"

"So I was the cheating whore… and I just destroyed him over nothing…"

"I mean… Kairi, we were going to have to tell him sooner or later… Maybe it's best that it came out now?"

I couldn't stop crying… I just felt like shit. "I was so mean about it… and now he knows everything, and… Oh God, Van… what did I do?"

"It'll be okay, Kairi… He'll be okay… Sora's strong. He can handle it."

"You didn't hear him, Van… I broke him…"

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Just a little life lesson in jumping to conclusions… Though I'm sure everybody else though he was nailing the Russian chick too! ;P Oh the roller coaster that is Kairi's life… And it's about to get even worse. :O

Thanks for your continuing support! Love ya!

 _Simply Rexene_


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**A/N:** Oh no! Sora stayed faithful! D: Kairi, don't you know that he loves you?! You broke his poor heart!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Eighteen**

x-x-x-x-x

"I can't sleep… I'm going to go write…" I mumbled, lifting myself out of bed and sighing softly.

"Kairi, it's been two weeks since you told Sora about us… have you even slept through one night?"

I sat back down on the edge of the bed, "I… I just can't live with what I did to him… Everything feels wrong right now. It was fine when I thought he cheated, but… I googled that girl and he wasn't lying…"

"How can I help? What can I do?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing my back.

"I don't know, Van… Maybe we should take a break… I just feel too guilty being with you right now…" I told him, my heart aching inside my chest as I spoke.

He stayed silent for a moment, his hand stopping on my back, "So… you want me to go back down to the basement?"

"No… but yes… I just need some time alone to think. Please understand…" I turned to look at him, my eyes filling up with tears.

"Okay… I get it… Take whatever time you need… Like I said before, if you choose Sora… I'll bow out gracefully," his voice hitched as he said the last part.

I pulled him into a tight hug, "Thank you for this, Van… I thought I could just turn my back on my marriage, but…"

"But it's a lot harder than you thought… I understand. Do what you need to do."

Releasing him from the hug, I stood up, "All right… I'm going to my office…"

"And I guess… I'm going back downstairs. Good night, Kairi…"

"Good night…"

x-x-x-x-x

"So… you told Sora about you and Vanitas, but now you can't even be with Vanitas?" Selphie looked incredibly confused as she tried to figure it out.

"I feel too guilty, Selph… every time I look at Vanitas I can just picture Sora's heart breaking… And now I can't be around Van either because he just looks like a kicked puppy every time I see him!"

She took a sip of her drink, shaking her head, "Wow, Kairi… you fucked up bad…"

"I know! And I don't know how to fix it!" I exclaimed, startling the bartender. I looked down at the floor, my gut tightening up when I spoke again, "There's something else…"

"Oh fuck, what else could you have possibly done?"

I took a deep breath, leaning in close to her, "I… I'm pregnant… and I don't know who the father is…"

"Holy shit!" she screeched, causing the bartender to nearly drop the glass he was cleaning. "Sorry…" she smiled sheepishly at him.

I wanted to just sink under the bar and die. "I went to the doctor yesterday… the time line means it happened right around when Sora left… And of fucking course, I slept with Sora the night before he left, and then Van a couple nights after…"

"So you have… absolutely no idea who might be responsible. Damn… that would've helped you make your choice for sure."

"Selphie! You're not helping! Don't you think I know how fucked up this all is?!" I whined, "And… they're both such good guys that I don't think either of them would care if it wasn't their kid! They'd still want to be with me and raise it…"

She just gave me a look of disappointment, "Did you tell either of them? Are you even _going_ to tell them?"

"I can't… not until I see Sora again. I need to know if our marriage can be saved or if… if we're done for good…"

"Kairi, it's been a good month since he left… you're going to start showing soon. And what're you drinking?!"

I rolled my eyes, "It's Sprite, Selph… I'm not stupid…"

"Ohh, you're screwed… you are so fucking screwed… When did you even suspect that you were pregnant?"

I shrugged, "The past couple days I've been feeling sick all the time… I thought it was just the guilt, but then I didn't get my period…"

"Ew, yeah… I heard that morning sickness is rough…"

"How am I going to hide this from them? I mean… until I can get a paternity test, I don't…"

She lifted an eyebrow, "You're going to have to tell them before the baby is born, Kairi…"

"I know… I know… I just… how do I decide who to be with?"

She thought for a moment, "Well… don't choose. Tell them that you can't be with either of them until this baby is born and you know who the father is."

"But… what if I don't want to be with the real father anyways?"

"That's something you'll have to decide when you know… Look, they both love you… and you love both of them… They'll wait for you. If I know Sora, he's going to put up quite a fight for you, and I'm guessing his brother will too. So… let them battle it out, sleep in your guest room, and hang out with your niece…"

I looked up at her, "So you're saying that I should let Sora come home?"

"How's he going to fight for your love if he doesn't? Don't give Van and unfair advantage here!" she giggled, pulling me into a hug. "I love you, Kai… and I'm only a phonecall away. Same goes for Riku. We're going to be the best fucked up Aunt and Uncle ever!"

"No, you're going to be the best Godmother and Godfather ever," I chuckled, hugging her tightly, "I need people that are outside of all this chaos to be there for …him or her."

Suddenly she squealed right in my ear, "Oh my God! I get to plan a baby shower! Ooh, are you going to find out the sex when you can? Ooh you should! I need to know what colors you're planning on using! Oh I hope it's a girl… we can take her shopping with us!"

"All right, Selph… you're getting about ten years ahead of yourself there. But I kind of hope it's a girl too… Everybody says they're harder to raise, but the dresses and bows and girl stuff would be soo worth it!" I couldn't believe she'd gotten me all excited too.

"You know Riku and Leon are getting a boy? They found a girl that's giving up her baby for adoption and she chose them!"

I smiled widely, "Aww! I'm so happy for them! How perfect! Oh God, Selph… now you just need one and we can run our own daycare!"

"Ohhhh no… Tidus and I have already decided against kids. Neither of us are the parenting type… I'll just be the cool Aunt to both babies!"

I chuckled, "You'll be a better Aunt than Xion ever will… She can't even take care of her own kid."

"Are you going to tell Namine? You should totally tell Namine… you need a friend in that house."

"Definitely… I'll probably tell her tonight when I get home. She's starting summer break here in a couple of days, so… she'll be there for me. I'm hoping that I can convince her to come to my doctor's appointments with me too. I'm sure Sora and Van will both want to come, but… I don't think I could handle having them both there."

Selphie grinned, "I'm always free too, if you need me… It's really going to be okay, you know? Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Now you have some time to think about who you truly want to be with."

"You're right… a blessing in disguise."

x-x-x-x-x

"Aww, Aunt Kairi! I'm so excited!" Namine squealed, leaping onto me with a huge hug. I'd just gotten through explaining everything to her. "I think it's really smart of you to put Sora and Van on the backburner for now, too… just focus on bringing this little baby into the world! I can't believe I'm going to have a little cousin! Can I babysit sometimes?"

I chuckled, fending her off and stretching out on the couch, "Of course you can, Nami… just promise me that we won't be going through this with you anytime in the near or distant future."

"Roxas and I haven't done anything… and if we did, we would be very safe about it. Don't worry, Auntie Kai…" she told me, blushing a little.

"Let this be a lesson to you, too… I was on the birth control shot thing, and I forgot to keep track of when my three months was up. I thought I was fine because I was married, and Sora and I could afford a kid if it happened… but I also didn't really think it would actually happen!"

She laughed, "I got it, Aunt Kairi… Don't have sex. Ever."

"Good girl!" I ruffled her hair, but my laughter was cut off when the doorbell rang. "…Who would be visiting this late? Did you ask Roxas to come over?"

"No, I have no idea who it could be..." she shrugged, getting up off the couch.

I looked at her, "Go upstairs to your bed… it's late."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? What if it's a serial killer or something?"

"All the more reason for you to get upstairs! I'll look through the peephole first, promise. Good night, Nami…"

She gave me another quick hug before skittering upstairs, "Night!"

I approached the door, hearing a pretty vicious storm going on outside. Hopefully it wasn't someone that was hurt or anything… I had absolutely no medical training. When I looked through the peephole, my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I quickly unlocked the door, flinging it open to find someone standing there drenched in water and looking absolutely miserable.

"…Sora..."

x-x-x-x-x

 **UPDATE:** I got my timeline wrong, and Kairi wouldn't be showing already... so I took that little part out.

 **A/N:** Lots of information this chapter! If any of you missed it, there was a bit of a time jump. It's been about a month since Sora left town, and a couple weeks since she told him about her and Van. When she was at the bar talking to Selphie, it was the next day after she told Van that she needed her space.

Er mah gerd, Kairi is pregnant! I know a lot of you anticipated that… but that was something I'd been planning since the start of the story.

What gender do you want her baby to be? Let me know what you think!

Love always,

 _Simply Rexene_


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**A/N:** Holy epic cliffhanger, Batman! Sora is home. O-O And Van is home. O-O And Kairi is preggers! OH GAWD.

 **Expect some time skips during her pregnancy. They won't be major, but I'm not going to drag this out during her entire 40 week pregnancy. XD That would be cray. I'm already thinking about ending this story when she gives birth and doing a Part Two kind of deal to continue it.**

Also, 50+ reviews makes my heart sing! You guys are awesome!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Nineteen**

x-x-x-x-x

"Kairi… Oh, Kairi…" Sora threw himself at me, enveloping me in a wet, yet warm hug.

But I couldn't let it happen. I pushed him off of me, stepping aside to let him in, "Sora… what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't just sit there and wonder anymore, Kairi… I had to come home. I had to see you…"

"Kairi, who was at the door this late?"

My eyes shot over to the basement door where Van stood, "Perfect… I need to talk to both of you."

Sora caught sight of him and I could see his entire expression change, "Vanitas…" he growled, advancing on him.

Van stepped into the living room with his hands up, "Now calm down, Sora… Kairi and I aren't even together right now."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?! You slept with my wife!" he shouted, and before either of us knew what was going on, his fist was making contact with Van's jaw so hard that I could hear Van's head bounce off the wall behind him.

He dropped in an instant.

"Van!" I screeched, running to his side and helping him up, "Sora, what the fuck?! Why would you do that?!"

"Seriously?! You can't think of any reason?!"

Vanitas hushed me, "I'm fine, Kairi… I deserved that…"

"You're bleeding, Van… let me go get a towel…" I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of the towels and an ice pack from the fridge, running back and handing them to him before turning on Sora, "Feel better now? Feeling manly?"

"Yeah, I feel pretty good about that," he crossed his arms over his chest, smirking a little.

I scowled at him, "Both of you on the couch… _now._ I need to tell you idiots something before you kill each other."

They both took a seat on opposite couches and I dragged the recliner over in between the two and curled up on it, "Okay, so… what I'm about to tell you is going to be difficult to hear… But you need to just stop and listen before you freak out, okay?"

Vanitas raised an eyebrow suspiciously while Sora just nodded, "All right… what is it?"

"Let me just stress this, Sora… if you hit him again, I'm throwing you out of the house," I informed him, sending a glare his way.

"Fine, fine… Just tell us."

I took a deep breath, then decided to just go for it, "Sora, Vanitas… I'm pregnant. And I don't know which of you is the father."

Sora nearly choked on thin air and Vanitas looked like he'd been punched again, "Holy shit, Kairi… Holy shit! It… it's got to be mine, right? We slept together so many times…"

Sora twitched a little, "Right… but we slept together right before I left, so it's definitely mine."

"I don't know whose it is! The doctor says I'm about 4 weeks along, so I haven't even had my first ultrasound yet… There was only a two day difference between you…" I looked up at Sora sheepishly. He looked… pissed and confused at the same time.

"So… what does this mean?" Van asked me. He just looked absolutely defeated.

I sighed softly, "Well… it means that I'm not going to be with either of you until this baby is born. You can stay here, Sora, but I'll be sleeping in the guest room… which incidentally, we'll be needing to convert into a nursery in a few months."

"And then… what? You choose the guy who's the father?" Sora wondered.

"And then I choose who I really and truly want to be with. But I'm not going to let all these pregnancy hormones get in the way of my actual feelings."

Vanitas groaned, "So… we're just supposed to wait, then? And one of us may or may not be a father? There's got to be some kind of paternity test we can get before the baby is born…"

"I asked the doctor when I got the pregnancy test confirmed… she said that while they can check, it poses a risk to the baby and they won't usually do it unless there's a risk of genetic defect or something… I don't know, it was really confusing… but I'm not doing it if it's going to hurt my baby. So… yeah, you get to wait."

"All right, calm down… nobody asked you to do anything to hurt the baby. If we have to wait, we have to wait…" Van reassured me, making me smile. All I wanted to do was crawl into somebody's arms and cry for awhile…

Sora grumbled a little, "Well you aren't sleeping in that shitty guest bed while you're pregnant… you stay in our room. And I'm coming to all your doctor's appointments."

"Well so am I!" Van exclaimed, "I could just as easily be the father!"

"Ohh no… I'm not dragging my soap opera life into the doctor's office with me. Namine or Selphie will go with me… I'll fill you both in after each one."

Sora shook his head, "No… I should be there with you."

"This isn't up for discussion! The only parent this baby has right now is me! My baby, my rules!" I yelled at them, huffing a little, "Until this baby is born… all we're doing in this house is coexisting. No hostility, no fighting, no competing with each other. Got it?"

Van smiled, "Of course, Kairi… just let me know if you need anything. I'll always be there for you."

"So will I!" Sora jumped in, raising his hand up.

I brought my knees up to my chest, resting my head against them. This was going to be more difficult than I thought… they were already fighting over me. But nobody killed anybody, so I suppose it went better than I originally expected.

x-x-x-x-x

"Are you so super excited, Kairi?! It's your first ultrasound!" Namine bounced around in the passenger's seat of my car as I pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.

"I'm actually really nervous, Nami… I'm not supposed to be getting this big already at 8 weeks… I really hope nothing is wrong with the baby…"

She shrugged, "Maybe they got your date of conception wrong. You used to sleep with Sora like… before he left and stuff, right?"

I gave her a sheepish look, "Actually… it'd been quite awhile…"

I was incredibly nervous… Normally the doctor wouldn't even do an ultrasound until I was 10 weeks along, but because of my curious weight gain, she decided that it would be best to get one done now. She said that it was probably nothing, that pregnancy can make you want to eat a lot and gain extra weight… but this didn't feel like pudge weight, it felt like… a baby bump.

"I'll be okay, Auntie Kai… I think you look cute all preggy!"

I chuckled, following her as she practically cartwheeled into the hospital. I think she was more excited about this than I was.

As we sat in the waiting room, Namine could _not_ stop chattering in my ear, "So at least Sora and Van are getting along now. I mean… they still look at each other all full of hatred and stuff, but they stopped arguing after you faked that pain that freaked them out!"

I rolled my eyes, remembering that night… they were at each other's throats and wouldn't fucking stop, so I grabbed my belly and started moaning in pain. They both shut up and tried to help me, which in an odd way might have bonded them a little. "Well… lets just be glad that it was fake pain. I hope my baby is okay…"

"Relax, Aunt Kairi! You're not even that big, I don't know why you're freaking out."

"Namine, I don't fit into any of my jeans anymore! I've had to wear dresses or sweatpants for the past three weeks already. I don't think that's normal!"

She scoffed, "But you were all twiggy and thin before you got knocked up! There's a baby growing in there, of course you're going to look a little bloated."

"She's absolutely right, you know," the sound of the doctor's voice floated from above us and I looked up at her.

"Good morning, Dr. Gainsborough! Thank you for agreeing to meet me today…"

She smiled warmly at me as I stood up to shake her hand, "Well, it's always lovely to see such a glowing young mother. And who is this with you?"

"My niece, Namine. She lives with me," I introduced her.

"Very nice to meet you, Namine. What a lovely name. So let's head on back!" she chirped happily, motioning for us to follow her.

Once we got all settled, I let her in on what was happening, "So… I'm only 8 weeks along… should I be showing like this already? I know it's barely anything, but I thought you didn't really start to show until like… 11 or 12 weeks."

"Sounds like someone has been using our dear friend Google. While it's more common, every pregnancy is going to behave differently. There really aren't any rules for this kind of thing. But I do understand your concern, and I'm going to try to get a heartbeat on the ultrasound today. But I'm not guaranteeing anything, okay?"

I nodded, leaning back on the table, "I just want to make sure my baby is okay…"

After asking me a bunch of questions, she finally got out the machine and started, "So just lift up your shirt there… this gel might feel a little bit cool, my apologies."

I hissed a little at the cold goo that she spurted onto my belly, but it warmed up as she started to spread it around with the instrument.

"Okay… lets see what we have going on here…" she mumbled to herself, "There we go… do you hear the heartbeat?"

I looked up at the monitor, listening to the steady little beat sounding. I couldn't even contain the smile on my face, even though all I could see was a tiny peanut-looking dot on the screen.

She maneuvered the apparatus around a bit more and suddenly laughed a little, "Well I'll be damned…"

"What? What's wrong?" I panicked, my eyes widening.

"Nothing is wrong, dear! You're simply having twins."

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Er mah gerd! Twins! TWINS. Two babies! Whatever will she do?! …Love both of them unconditionally, I suppose. :P Now we have two genders to choose! I need your opinions!

Hopefully I'm not throwing these twists and turns at ya too much. Like I said at the beginning of the chapter, I'm going to start skipping around a bit during her pregnancy. Not to worry though… you'll get your full dose of drama each time!

Until Twenty!

 _Simply Rexene_


	20. Chapter Twenty

**A/N:** So now we shall step forward into the pregnant life of Kairi. :P Again, there'll be a few time skips, but I'll always mention how far along she is if I jump in time. If you get confused, shoot me a message and I can settle it up.

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty**

x-x-x-x-x

"Are you going to tell them…?"

I sighed, turning into the driveway, "I kind of have to… I mean… twins? This is insane!"

"They're going to flip shit," Namine told me, like I didn't already know.

The moment I stepped into the house I was bombarded by the two of them both asking a billion questions.

"How did it go? Is the baby okay? Did you get a picture?" Sora kept talking more loudly over Van.

I sat down on the couch with my purse, pulling out the sonogram image and handing it to one of them, "They're peanuts right now… you probably can't even see them…"

It took them a moment, but when Van first realized what I'd said he nearly passed out, "They…? Kairi… are you having twins?"

I shrugged, "I guess so."

Suddenly I was being pounced on by him, "Oh my God, that's fantastic!"

Sora finally caught up and his eyes went super wide, "Shit… twins? Really?"

"Apparently," I chuckled, "I'm still deaf from telling Selphie over the phone earlier."

Van was laying almost on top of me, tracing little shapes over my belly, "They're going to be perfect…"

But Sora wasn't having that. He grabbed Van by his shirt and lifted him up off of me, "Get your hands off her! Neither of us gets to touch her, remember?!"

I rolled my eyes at the stupid set of rules they'd come up with. Whatever kept the peace, I guess. "I'm tired… who's making dinner tonight?"

As the two of them scrambled over each other in a fight to get to the kitchen, I relaxed back on the couch and closed my eyes. Those idiots would end up killing each other just to make me some fucking dinner… I suppose I should've been flattered, but it was all just super weird to me.

x-x-x-x-x

"Selphie, you're freaking me out…" I swatted her hands away from my stomach for the billionth time that day. I was at about 12 weeks, which was the very end of my first trimester. Both babies were getting big… and so was I.

"But you're so cute and pregnant!" she exclaimed, creeping on my belly once again.

I whacked her with a pillow, "They won't even start moving for another month or so… quit touching me!"

"Riku and Leon are here!" Sora announced, sliding open the door to the back porch and allowing them through.

"Riku!" I squealed and leapt up from my lawn chair, grabbing him in a huge hug.

He chuckled, catching me and spinning me around a little, "Kairi! It's been too long!"

"Exactly… which is why I have some incredibly huge and awesome news to tell you!" I rambled excitedly. I hadn't told anybody but Van, Sora, Nami and Selphie yet… but I was far enough along now that I felt like I kind of had to.

He raised a brow, giving me a curious look, "Did you finally choose between your husband and your lover?"

I pouted, shaking my head, "No… look!" I giggled, lifting up the bottom of my t-shirt and showing him my tummy.

"Oh, Kairi, honey… if you're depressed, eating is _not_ the answer," he teased, a big grin growing on his face, "How did you not tell me sooner?!"

"It's twins!" Namine ran outside and tackled Riku with another hug. She totally loved it when he came over.

Leon pulled me into a hug, "Congratulations, darling…"

I leaned into him, beaming happily. I think I was really getting that pregnant glow thing going… even though I was also experiencing some of the downsides of it—like having to pee every two minutes.

"So who's the lucky father?!" Riku asked, completely unaware of how awkward his question would be.

Van looked over from his perch at the grill while Sora glanced our way from the picnic table, "Uhm… I kind of don't know that part…"

His eyes widened and he chuckled nervously, "Oops… sorry…"

"No, no… it's fine. How's it going with your baby mama?" I asked them, sitting back down in my lawn chair.

They each took seats near Selphie and I, looking like they were about to bubble over with joy, "Oh it's perfect, Kairi… Leon and I are so excited to meet our little boy!"

"And oh my God, tell her what name you chose!" Selphie tittered with gossip.

Leon grinned happily, "Benjamin Wyatt Hart."

"Aww, it's perfect!" I grinned, loving their choice.

"We can't decide on a nickname though… Leon is dead set on Ben or Benny, but I _love_ Benji. What do you guys think?"

Selphie thought on that for a moment, "I have to agree with Leon… Benny would be adorable."

I nodded in agreement, "I'm on the Benny front."

Even Vanitas threw in his two cents from the grill, "I agree, man. Benji makes him sound like a little douche."

Riku's face scrunched up at that, "…Thanks for the input? Sora, come on… you gotta have my back on this one."

"Either is nice…" Sora mumbled, looking depressed.

"Do you ever know what we were talking about?" Riku asked him, throwing him a glance of concern over his shoulder.

He nodded, "Baby names… yeah…"

Riku got up and went to talk to him alone, which I appreciated. They'd been best friends for so long, and I felt really bad that Riku had been a little closer to me lately.

"So how far along are you, Kairi?" Leon asked, turning my focus back to them.

"About 12 weeks," I smiled, my hand resting over my belly.

He laughed, "Wow… when our surrogate was at 12 weeks she was barely showing."

"Twins!" I reminded him, "I've got two of 'em in there! I swear to you I can tell where each of them are, too… Baby one is over here somewhere," I said, pointing to the right side of my lower tummy, "And baby two lives on the left over here…"

"Just wait until they start kicking. You'll know exactly who's who," he chuckled, flashing us a bright smile. I was so glad that Riku met him… he really was such a good guy.

Selphie smirked, "You're acting like you've been pregnant before."

"I just do a lot of research for Shiki! She's never been pregnant before either, so we want to make sure that everything is going well."

Suddenly Namine sat straight up like a board, "Your surrogate is Shiki? Like… the girl that carries a cat plushie around all the time?"

"Yeah! How do you know her?" Leon wondered, looking confused.

"I go to high school with her! We've all been super confused as to how she got knocked up… She's like… super weird."

He just shrugged, "She seems very sweet. And if you're really that curious, the father was some kid named Neku. I met him once… he was very quiet and strange."

Namine nodded, "Right?! I knew it was him! We've been trying to figure it out for months! Ooh… I'll have to tell Yuffie and Roxas!"

"Now hold on a moment young lady… don't you go starting rumors about that poor girl. She's doing something wonderful for us, and I won't have you jeopardizing it by making her some kind of social pariah," Leon warned her.

"Fine… I won't tell anybody…" she grumbled, crossing her arms and huffing.

I kicked at her, "Oh quit pouting! You're done with school for the summer anyways… I'm sure you can go without your stupid gossip for awhile."

Suddenly her phone rang and she leapt to her feet, "Roxas is here! Yay!"

As she skittered off to find him, I just threw Leon an apologetic look, "Sorry about her… she gets a bit overexcited about stuff like that."

"Ah, it's fine… She's due in early August anyways, so I guess the gossip wouldn't even reach her until after everything is said and done."

"Wow… that's so soon! Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah, we've already got the nursery all painted and set up," he beamed happily, "We decided not to have a shower because the idea seemed to upset Shiki."

I could understand that. I wouldn't want a bunch of strangers leering at me either. "Well, you'd better call us the moment your little boy is born. I want to meet little Benny as soon as possible."

"Will do," he agreed, "As long as you let us know when those twins pop!"

"Food's ready!" Van called, setting the plate of meat in the center of the picnic table.

As we all gathered around the picnic table for dinner, I couldn't help but enjoy the sight of my weird, fucked up little family just being together. Even with the tension between Sora, Van and I… everything just felt kind of right in that moment.

"We need to do this more often," I told them all, snuggling into my seat between Selphie and Riku.

"Definitely!" Selphie giggled, throwing a half-hug around me.

I dug into the delicious food Van had cooked… I was definitely eating for three.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Wow, I feel like I'm just pounding out these pregnancy chapters. Crazy! So just for anybody who missed it… as of the end of this chapter, she's 12 weeks along. She's officially at the end of her first trimester.

Omg I already have sooo many name ideas for the twins… :3 Do you guys have any that you'd like to share? Also, what do you think of Riku and Leon's name choice? And also who their baby mama is?! (I was grasping at straws for a KH character to use for that. Haha.)

Until next time!

 _Simply Rexene_


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**A/N:** Soo I've got all these tabs on pregnancy open on my laptop… I hope my boyfriend doesn't get the wrong idea! XD How embarrassing would that be? "Oh no, honey… I'm not pregnant, I'm just fact checking!" O-o I know, I'm a weirdo. :P

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty One**

x-x-x-x-x

"Sixteen weeks! I can't believe you're already four months pregnant!" Namine started to bounce around in the back seat yet again.

"You know I read online that they might be able to tell you the sex of your babies now!" Selphie exclaimed, wiggling around in the driver's seat.

I shifted nervously in the passenger's seat, "I don't know… Dr. Gainsborough said she had something important to ask me. I'm kinda scared…"

"I bet it's if you wanna know the genders! …You do, right?"

"I do, but… I don't think that was it," I stared out the window as she pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Sitting in the waiting room was getting my nerves all out of whack, so when Dr. Gainsborough approached me with a smile I was ready to bombard her with questions.

"Oh! I see we have somebody new with us!" she shook Selphie's hand, "Dr. Aerith Gainsborough."

"Selphie! I'm the best friend," she giggled, "So Kairi is kind of freaking out… Tell her it's nothing bad!"

She just chuckled, "I see we have a very worrisome mommy with us. Come on back to the exam room… I'll explain everything there."

We followed her back, my heart pounding in my chest as I sat down on the exam table. "Please just skip to the bad news…"

"Now, Kairi… it's not necessarily bad news. I wanted to talk to you about having an amniocentesis. I know that my nurse talked to you about it back when we did your pregnancy test and she probably didn't recommend having it, but with you having twins and not knowing the paternity… I think it might be best to get one done. It can diagnose chromosomal abnormalities among many other things that I think would be best to know."

I bit my bottom lip, "Will it hurt the babies?"

"There's about a 1% chance that it could cause damage, but I've done hundreds of them with almost no bad outcomes," she assured us.

I nodded, "Okay… I guess… Lets do it."

"There's one more thing, Kairi… We can run a paternity test at the same time, if you'd like to find out now. We would just need the possible fathers to come down and get some bloodwork done."

My heart nearly stopped in my chest, and I looked at Selphie, "Should I call them?"

"Uhm… yeah! You could settle all of this now!"

I glanced up at the doctor, "All right… they're both home now, I can have them come in."

"I'll leave you for a few minutes to make your call, and then we'll get your ultrasound done and do the amnio. I probably won't have the results until tomorrow, so try not to worry yourself too much until then."

After she left I pulled out my cellphone and called Van, "Hey…"

"What's wrong with the babies? Is everything okay?!" he panicked right away.

"Calm down, Van… is Sora home?"

He grumbled, "Yeah, he's sitting here next to me."

"All right… I need you both to come to the hospital."

"OH GOD THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BABIES!" he shouted, nearly busting out my eardrum.

I rolled my eyes, "Van! Vanitas! Calm the fuck down! There's nothing wrong! They… they're going to do a paternity test now. You need to come give blood."

"Wait, what?" his tone of voice suddenly became confused, "Sora, they said we can do a paternity test now… We've got to go to the hospital."

"Right. Just go to the clinic where they draw blood and tell them Dr. Aerith Gainsborough requested it," I told him, promptly hanging up.

Selphie snorted a little, "I could hear him all the way over here… Van's really dying to be a father, isn't he?"

"Well… he had a little girl with his late wife, so… I can imagine that he's pretty excited."

"Whoa… Vanitas had a family?"

Namine nodded, "Yeah, they died in a car accident…"

"Damn… that's harsh. I actually think I might be on Team Vanitas now."

I raised an eyebrow, looking at her, "Team what now?"

"Nothing… nobody is taking bets on who you're going to choose…" she mumbled.

I didn't have the strength to care. I was too busy worrying about this amnio-whatever. And the paternity test… oh God, I couldn't handle having to wait until the next day for the results.

"Ready for your ultrasound?" Dr. Gainsborough poked her head back into the room with a smile.

"Is it true that you can tell me the sex of the babies now?"

She chuckled, "I can't guarantee it… sometimes their position makes it difficult to see. But I can certainly try if you'd like!"

I nodded, "I want to know… tell me if you can."

A few minutes and some cold goo later, I was again looking at my babies on the screen. "They're getting so big…"

"Okay… let me see what I can find… Ooh, there're some fingers and toes! And… well look at that… Baby number one is a boy!"

I couldn't even contain the smile on my face, and Selphie and Namine started squealing like little girls. "A boy! It's a boy!"

She headed over to baby number two, "All right… hmm… This one isn't growing at quite the same rate. She's a little smaller, see?"

I nearly jumped off the table and danced around, "She?! It's a girl?!"

Dr. Gainsborough grinned, "Sorry, that was my slip… Yes, baby number two is indeed a girl."

"Oh my goodness! One of each?! You're so lucky Kairi!" Selphie exclaimed, jumping up and down with Namine.

"They're so little and cute!" Namine giggled, looking at the monitor up close.

The doctor just laughed, "Wow, you guys are certainly excitable. Congratulations, Kairi. I'm going to go prep for the amniocentesis. You just relax for a bit."

I was on cloud nine… even thinking about the paternity test couldn't bring me down now. I had a little boy and a little girl… nothing else mattered.

x-x-x-x-x

"All right… sit down you two," I took my place in the recliner, hugging the ultrasound printouts to my chest. I was a little sore from the amniocentesis, but I was too happy to care.

"What's up, Kairi? Did they get the results back?" Sora wondered, sitting down on one of the couches.

I shook my head, "No, but… I have the new sonograms."

"Let us see!" Van nearly crawled into my lap to get them, but I fended him off.

"All right… this one? It's our little boy," I said, passing him the first picture.

Sora clamored over next to Vanitas to see, "Wow… a boy? Really?"

"So then… the other one?" Van looked up at me hopefully.

"Our little girl!" I exclaimed, handing them that one.

Sora stared at the pictures for a long while, then suddenly leapt up to his feet, "This is fucked up… You're my wife, Kairi… and you're sitting here fawning over baby pictures with my brother!"

"Don't yell at her like that!" Van stood up, getting right up in his face.

"Back off, you fucking traitor! You're supposed to be my family! How can you just sit here waiting to steal my wife away from me?!"

Vanitas leered down at him angrily, "Maybe if you fucking treated her right in the first place she wouldn't have fallen for me!"

"She's keeping me around for some reason! Obviously you can't make her happy either!"

"She's just guilty because of what we did!"

I was so sick of hearing the same old fight… "Guys! You need to stop! Van, go downstairs… Sora, go… anywhere else! I'm really sore from that test and I just want to go to bed."

"Let me help you upstairs first," Vanitas offered, pulling me up to my feet.

"Thank you, Van… that's very nice of you," I shot Sora a glare, pissed off mostly at him for starting the fight.

However fucked up this shit was… it'd be over tomorrow. At least I could be sure of that.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** A bit of a short chapter, because I wanted to wait until the next chapter to drop the bomb I've been cooking up.

So a boy and a girl! Who else is super excited? :3 And who the fuck is excited to learn who the daddy is?! I am! I am!

See ya next time! Keep reviewing and being awesome!

 _Simply Rexene_


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**A/N:** I've been waiting so long for this chapter! Shit's about to get crayyyyyy.

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Two**

x-x-x-x-x

When my cellphone rang the next day I nearly tossed it against the wall, I was so nervous. This was it… they had the results.

"H…hello?"

"Is this Kairi Hikari?"

I swallowed thickly, "Yes…"

"Perfect! This is Dr. Gainsborough. I wanted to make the call myself."

"So… you have the results of the paternity test?"

She paused for a moment, "The good news is, both of your babies are incredibly healthy. The amniocentesis didn't come up with any problems."

"…So there's bad news?"

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you over the phone… why don't you stop by the office?"

My heart nearly stopped beating, "No… tell me now."

"All right, Kairi… there's this sort of phenomenon that can happen with twins… It's called heteropaternal superfundication," she explained.

"In English?"

She coughed a little, "Basically what it means is that… Kairi, your twins have different fathers. We ran the test and… your boy was a match for Sora and your girl was a match for Vanitas."

"H…how?" my throat was incredibly dry as I spoke.

"It can only happen if you slept with both men within 5 days of each other. It's very rare, but… we ran the test multiple times to confirm it. That's why your girl is developing just a tad more slowly. She was concieved a full two days after your boy."

I walked out to the backyard and sat down in one of the lawn chairs, not wanting to be overheard by either of them. "So… there's no chance it was a fluke in your machines?"

"No, Kairi… you've got two expecting fathers. But the good news is that it shouldn't affect your pregnancy or the babies at all. You'll still be able to deliver them at the same time."

"I… I… Thank you, Dr. Gainsborough… I guess I have quite the conversation to have…"

She chuckled a bit, "I would say so… I know that it's none of my business, but they're brothers… aren't they?"

"Yeah… that's the hole I've fucked myself into."

"Good luck, Kairi. I'll give you a call later to set up your next appointment."

"Thanks…" I mumbled, hanging up the phone. I sat there for a long, long time… frozen in silence.

The sudden hand on my shoulder made me shriek in surprise, and I nearly punched Namine in the face before I realized it was her. "Auntie Kai… are you okay? You've been sitting out here for a long time…"

"I… I'm fine, Nami. Sorry, you just scared me…"

"Was that the doctor? Did she get the results?"

I panicked a little, "Uhm… no. It'll be a few more days. The lab was backed up."

"Oh… okay. Well I'm going over to Roxas' for the evening, okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah… go have fun."

I didn't know what to do… but I couldn't tell anybody. Not yet.

x-x-x-x-x

"Sora… are you okay? You've been super quiet lately," I sat down next to him in the living room, kicking my feet up on the coffee table. It'd been a couple of days since I found out the paternity, but I still hadn't told anybody. I needed to figure some things out first.

"I'm fine…" he mumbled, focusing his attention on the TV.

I grabbed the remote and turned it off, "Talk to me."

"Seriously, Kairi… it's nothing. I'm just sick of waiting for these results."

"You've never seemed excited by these babies, Sora… You only seem to care about whether or not you win me back over."

He shrugged, "Of course I'm excited…"

"What if you are the father? What then? Are you really going to love and take care of these babies?"

"Of course I am!" he exclaimed.

I sighed, "I remember the conversation we had a couple weeks before you left, Sora… you never wanted kids. We decided to wait quite awhile."

"Well obviously that didn't work out… Are you seriously worried that I wouldn't love them? What, because my idiot brother is freaking out over them like a spazz?"

"I… I expected you to be a tiny bit excited when I told you… Instead you just turned it into some kind of competition with Vanitas."

He rolled his eyes, "You're the one who made this a competition, Kairi. You're keeping me around here to… what? Lead me on until you can choose Van and leave me? You don't love me anymore, Kai… just admit it."

"I… that's not…" I stumbled over my words, but I knew he was right. "We're not in high school anymore, Sora… Everything is different. You're different… I'm _definitely_ different."

"I slept with someone else," he suddenly just blurted it out, shocking the hell out of me.

I nearly choked on thin air, "You did what?"

"A couple of weeks ago… I met … in a bar and… it just happened," he mumbled through some of the words.

"Wow… I mean, I can't exactly be mad, but… Damn…" my eyes were wide as saucers. "Do you… have feelings for her?"

His breath hitched for a moment before he breathed out the next sentence, "It was a man…"

"Excuse me?" I asked him to repeat himself, hoping I'd maybe heard him wrong.

"His name was Cloud… and I… I really want to get to know him better."

I sat back on the couch, trying to let my brain process everything, "So… you're gay?"

"I'm bisexual, Kairi… you know I loved you. That was all real."

"I… this… is this happening? Am I dreaming?"

He shifted uncomfortably, "I know this is weird, Kairi… believe me, I'm just as scared and confused by it."

"So… you want to go out with him?"

"I… kind of…" he admitted, his cheeks flushing bright red. "Kairi, is it okay if I go stay with my parents for awhile? I mean, I know… we're waiting to see if I'm the father, but…"

I took a deep breath, about to make the biggest decision of my life, "You're not the father, Sora. Vanitas is. I… I've known for a couple days but I couldn't bring myself to tell you. Go… go see if you have something with this guy. I'll be fine here."

"Oh my God… seriously?" his entire face brightening up, "Kairi… you have no idea how relieved I am…"

"I had a feeling you'd be happy…" I smiled, "Sora… I'm so sorry about how this all went down. I never wanted things to end this way."

Suddenly he was pulling me into a hug, "I never did either, Kairi… I think we just outgrew each other, you know? Maybe getting married right out of high school was just a big mistake…"

"I think you're right… I just can't believe everything got so screwed up."

"I would've stuck around to be a father, you know… but Van really will be a good dad to them," he told me, cracking a little smile, "As much as I've hated my brother lately… he's proven himself to be a pretty decent guy."

I chuckled, tears springing up in my eyes, "Is this… you giving us your blessing?"

"If it wasn't for what happened with Cloud, I don't think I ever would have been okay with it… but I understand what you mean about true love now. In our marriage, we were just… getting by. And I don't know if I love Cloud, but he certainly made me feel differently than I've felt in a long time. I need to give it a chance, just like you need to give things with Van a chance…" he said, "…Without feeling horribly guilty."

I sprung another hug on him, my belly kind of getting in the way, "Thank you so much, Sora…"

"Now go tell Van he's going to be a father!" he exclaimed, helping me up off the couch. "I…I'm going to pack a few things and head to my parent's. I'll probably stop in every so often to grab the rest of my stuff."

"You're welcome any time, Sora… And seriously, good luck with Cloud. I hope things go well for you."

"So do I… we had a pretty memorable night together."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Does he give good blowjobs?"

The look on his face was hilarious. "You know what, Kairi? Apparently _I_ do."

We laughed together for a long time… I was just happy to see him smiling again. He looked like someone had lifted a 100 pound weight off his shoulders.

Somewhere along the line I knew that my lie would come back to haunt me… but honestly, how would anybody ever guess that the twins didn't have the same father? At least Sora and Van were brothers, so the twins would look alike no matter what. It was a harmless lie… Vanitas really wanted to be a father, and Sora didn't… Now Sora could be happy with …whoever he ended up with, and I could really settle down with Van. It was best for everybody. …Right?

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** All right, all right… I know how weird the Sora/Cloud thing is. I ran out of male characters! (Seriously, I almost had him with Demyx. I think Cloud was the least strange option.) Either way… Sora is bisexual, and Kairi is lying to …everyone!

But at least the peace is back in the house! You know, I was going to have Sora do some kind of grand gesture thing to get himself back in the running with her, but… VANITAS! She _needs_ to be with Vanitas. Who else can't wait for her to tell Van he's going to be a daddy? :3

Worry not, kind readers! I am nowhere _near_ out of drama to throw at you. I have plans for this story to go wellll into the future.

Let me know what you guys think of my craziness! Love ya!

 _Simply Rexene_


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**A/N:** So hopefully you guys don't hate me too much for pairing Sora with Cloud… It could be weirder!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Three**

x-x-x-x-x

"Vanitas… wake up," I stirred him from a mid-afternoon nap.

"Huh… what? What's wrong with the babies?!" he shot straight up, looking around suspiciously.

I giggled a little, "They're perfect, Van… They're just dying to get out of here and meet their daddy."

He yawned heavily, blinking at me a few times, "Pinkie? What're you doing in my bed?"

"I just had a very …enlightening conversation with Sora. We need to talk," I told him, settling down next to him in bed.

"Oh… okay. What's up?"

He was so adorable when he was sleepy… "Sora left… he's staying with your parents for awhile."

"Oh damn… why?" he wondered, turning on his side to face me.

"He slept with somebody else a couple weeks ago… he wants to explore things with him."

It took him a moment to catch the pronoun I'd used, "…Him?"

"Yeah, so… apparently Sora is bisexual. I had no idea either," I laughed, hoping that Van wouldn't freak out.

"Holy shit… seriously?"

I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip, "So… I have some more news…"

"…What, is Namine a lesbian now?" he asked, his eyes full of confusion.

"No! Van… it's about the babies. You're the father. I… I found out a couple days ago, but I was too scared to tell anybody…" He totally glazed over and for a moment I wondered if he'd fallen asleep again. And then his lips were on mine and I just… gave in and kissed him back, fighting back some tears.

He eventually pulled away, his own tears already rolling down his cheeks, "You're serious? I'm the father? They… they're mine?"

"Yeah, Van… they're yours. You're going to be a father again."

"Oh God… Kairi… I… you have no idea how happy I am…"

I chuckled, "I had a feeling you'd be thrilled…"

"I'm more than thrilled! I… I don't think I could be any happier, Kairi…"

"That's where you're wrong… I want you to move upstairs with me. I love you so much, Van… I'm ready to be with you now and forever."

He rubbed at his eyes, "I'm dreaming… this is a dream…"

I pulled his hands away from his face and met his crazy golden eyes, "You're very much awake, Van… I want you in every part of my life… including all my doctor's appointments and decorating the nursery. I want to go to sleep with you at night and wake up next to you in the morning…"

"Marry me," he said suddenly, his face dead serious.

"Van, Sora and I aren't even divorced yet…"

"Not right away, obviously… After everything has settled down… marry me."

I just stared at him for a long moment, "You're serious…"

"Is that a no?"

"No! It's more like a …are you fucking crazy?! Van, do you have any idea at all how insane everything is about to be?"

He didn't seem to care, "How much crazier could it really get? Sora has bowed out, all that's left is for the twins to come. What else is there?"

"Well, if you need a little example… when Sora and I told my parents that we were engaged, my dad tried to shoot him with the shotgun he keeps under his bed," I informed him. My dad was… a bit overprotective. "And I have yet to tell them about the twins. Do you really want to make those announcements at the same time?"

His eye twitched a little, "So… do I have to go with you to tell your parents about the babies?"

I giggled, "Yeah, Van… you're kinda the one that did this to me. And look… I'm not saying no forever, Van. But lets climb up this mountain first before we put another one in our path."

"You… are just perfect, Kairi…" he sighed, pulling me close to him. We both closed our eyes and just kind of laid there for awhile until suddenly his eyes flew open, "Did… did you really just tell me that my brother is gay?"

"Bisexual, apparently… but yes, I essentially did," I laughed, "It's really weird for me to think about too… I mean, he's technically still my husband."

Van shook his head slowly, marveling over this new information. "Well hot damn… a lot of things make more sense now…"

"Like what?" I tilted my head to the side curiously.

"Well, like the fact that he sucked in bed with you?"

I had to agree with that one, "Yeah… that does make a lot more sense…"

"I mean, I hope he's happy… but I don't know what my parents are gonna—shit."

"…What?"

He grimaced, "We're going to have to tell my family too…"

x-x-x-x-x

"This was a bad idea… this was a _really_ bad idea…" I paced back and forth on the back porch, wearing the one dress that still didn't make me look like I was incredibly pregnant. I was at week 18 now, which was proving to be very hard on my bladder. I just hoped I wouldn't be running to the bathroom every ten minutes during this dinner…

"Should I be wearing a bullet proof vest…?" Van asked me, straightening out the rolled up sleeves of his dress shirt.

I tried to laugh, but maybe he should… "Uhm… no! I don't think he'd bring his shotgun… it's just supposed to be dinner…"

"Remind me again why Sora is bringing my parents?"

"…Because they already know that we're getting a divorce and they might keep my parents from murdering us?"

He let out a bark of laughter, "Yeah, they know that you're divorcing him, but they don't know that it's because of me and the babies!"

"Well… everyone is going to be angry then."

"I haven't spoken to my parents since I dropped out of college, Kairi… do you know how long ago that was? I don't even think they know that I live here!"

I shrugged, finishing setting the picnic table for everyone. Thankfully Namine was out with Roxas… I didn't want her to witness her grandfather trying to kill us.

When Sora suddenly appeared in the back door I nearly jumped out of my skin, "Sora! Where are your parents?!"

"They're coming in a moment… they wanted to look at your weird little car."

"Well now I know where Van gets his obsession from…" I mumbled.

He stepped into the back yard, "I know you're really worried, Kairi… but I promise they'll be okay with it. They're not the type to get all freaked out."

"Vanitas!" their incredibly odd mother floated into the back yard, running up to him and wrapping him in a hug.

His eyes showed nothing but fear and confusion, "Uhm… mom?"

"I didn't know you'd be here! Oh, Vanitas I've missed you so much!" she wouldn't let go of him, and he looked like he was getting that 'fight or flight' thing going.

"…Did you forget that you hate me?" he asked her, his entire body stiff as a board.

She huffed, "Now I never said that I hated you! You disappeared off the face of the earth after you dropped out of college!"

Their father stepped forward, "Why didn't you just tell us you wanted to be a mechanic, son? That's a fine, respectable job."

"Because I—" he cut himself off, "Who are you people and what have you done with my parents?"

"Sora told us everything, Van… about your wife and child? How could you not tell me I had a granddaughter?!" his mother whacked him upside the head.

Van slinked away from her, looking like a deer caught in headlights, "I thought you guys hated me all this time… Dad, you told me that if I didn't go to college I'd never be welcome in the house again."

"I didn't expect you to take me seriously! I was just trying to keep you on the right path… I could see where you were heading and it scared me…"

His mother thumped him on the head again, "Why are you here?! Is this where you've been staying this whole time?!"

"Ow! Damn, Mom! Yeah, I've been staying here since Aqua and Maisie passed…" he told her, rubbing his head. I still couldn't figure out how she could even reach him… she was a tiny little woman.

He ducked before she could whack him again, "She sounds adorable! I need to see pictures… now!"

"Mom… focus… I'll show you pictures later. Let's sit down for dinner, okay?"

Suddenly she was coming right for me and I sat down before she could hug me and feel my belly, "Hey Mom…" I mumbled, slightly terrified of my mother in-law.

"Oh Kairi, you're positively glowing! And don't worry, honey… Sora explained everything. You need to follow your heart to true love, Kairi. Now who is this man and when do we get to meet him?"

"Oh, it'll be like you've known him his whole life…" I mumbled, wanting to wait until my parents were here to tell them. "He's… on his way?"

She chuckled heartily, taking the seat right next to me at the picnic table. Their dad sat down across the way next to Sora, looking mildly uncomfortable.

When the doorbell rang my heart leapt into my throat and I stood up, "That'll be my parents… I'll go show them in."

As I approached the front door I straightened out my dress, trying to look as normal as possible. But the door flung open before I could even reach it and my Mom's jaw just dropped the moment she saw me.

"Holy shit, you're pregnant…"

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** To be continued! This is going to be the most awkward dinner ever… Aren't Sora and Van's parents hilarious?! I could just picture such a rough looking guy like Van being raised by a kooky mom.

So seriously, Van? Your parents missed you! They didn't hate you! Dumbass! LOVE THEM!

Thanks for the reviews! Keep letting me know what you think! I'm gonna need names for these little babies soon, so I'll gladly take suggestions!

Love ya!

 _Simply Rexene_


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**A/N:** So… is Kairi's mom pissed or happy? Let's find out!"

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Four**

x-x-x-x-x

"Uhm… hi Mom. Nice to see you too?"

"Is that what this whole thing is about? You and Sora have a baby on the way?!"

I just stared at her, "How… did you know? I'm not even that big!"

"Your boobs are huge, your skin is glowing and your dress doesn't cover up that much," she rattled off, brushing past me to the back yard.

I looked up at my dad, but his face was just deadpanned. I couldn't even tell if he was pissed or not as he walked by me.

"Sora!" I heard her exclaim and I rushed out to the back yard to run interference. "How long were you two going to wait to tell me she's pregnant?!"

Shit… "Mom, come sit down… there's a lot of stuff we need to talk about."

Sora's mother looked like she was about to stroke out, but thankfully she was struck with silence.

After everybody was seated at the table, I grabbed Van from the grill and took his hand in mine, "Mom… Dad… everyone… Sora and I have been separated for the past 4 or so months."

"I… I don't understand…" my mom looked thoroughly confused.

"It's a long story, but… Vanitas and I are in love. He's the father of the babies."

Apparently my father could no longer compose himself, "Babies?! There's more than one?!"

"…Twins… A boy and a girl…" I mumbled, wanting to just duck behind Van.

"And who the fuck is this guy anyways?!" he continued, standing up angrily.

Sora's mom just looked broken, "He's… our other son."

"Really, Kairi? His brother?" my mom couldn't even begin to fathom this, "And how much older is he than you?! He looks a lot older!"

"Gee, thanks…" Van grumbled, "I'm only 34!"

My father was becoming rather red in the face, "This had better be a fucking joke, Kairi. I would expect shit like this from your sister, but never from you! How could you just forsake your marriage like that?!"

"He forsaked things too!" I threw Sora under the bus, panicking as my dad advanced on Vanitas.

"Hey! That was well after the fact!" Sora exclaimed.

Sora's father glanced over at him, "So you were unfaithful as well?"

"Well… yeah? That's kind of why I'm staying with you guys, so I can date …this person…"

"Nice of anybody to tell me!" his dad yelled, glaring at him.

But then Sora's mother stepped in, "If our son wants to go on a date with a nice man we should let him. At least he has the sense not to do it right under his wife's nose."

"Man?!" the vein on his dad's forehead was throbbing.

Sora looked like he wanted to melt under the table, "Fuck, Mom… how did you know?"

"Our mothers both have some kind of freaky mind reading thing…" I told him, keeping an eye on my own parents.

"So… your husband is gay?" my mom looked like her brain was about to explode, "And… you cheated on him with his brother… who's 12 years older than you… and you're pregnant with his twins?"

I shrugged, "Look, Mom's got it!"

"Uhm… Kairi…?" Van gripped my hand even more tightly as my dad grabbed him by his shirt.

"Dad! Let him go!"

He was definitely seeing red… "This asshole ruined your marriage… and he knocked you up out of wedlock!"

"But… we're getting married!" I exclaimed, shocking even myself with that one. "Yeah… he proposed to me and I said yes. He wants us to be a family, Daddy!"

Dad let him go, stepping back for a moment, "Is that true?"

Vanitas nodded quickly, "Y…yes… I haven't gotten her a proper ring yet, but…"

"Well… as long as you intend to do the right thing," my dad grumbled, eyeing him as he sat back down.

Sora raised an eyebrow, "When the fuck did that happen?"

"I'm sorry, Sora… I didn't want you to find out this way. And it's not going to be happening for awhile… I want to have the babies and of course let our divorce go through…"

"Jeez, Van… you really don't skip a beat, do you?" Sora laughed, making my heart start up again.

He shuffled a little, "Sorry, bro… We kinda weren't going to tell anybody that part until later…"

"So you two are in love, then?" Van's mom still looked full of shock and awe.

"Very much…" I smiled up at him, "And you're all going to be grandparents! How exciting is that?!"

That struck a chord with every single one of them. Even our dad's faces lit up.

"So… on this side is our little boy. He's getting big fast… I think he's going to be super tall. And then on this side is our little girl. She's a bit smaller, but I think she'll be absolutely adorable…"

My mom perked up, "Are they moving yet? How far along are you?"

"I'm at 18 weeks… They haven't moved yet, but my doctor said they should start any day."

"You're taking your prenatals, right?" she confirmed, suddenly turning into her typical mothering self.

I giggled, sitting down next to her, "Of course, Mom…"

"Where the hell is our granddaughter anyways?" Dad asked, looking around for Namine.

I smiled sheepishly, "She's out… with her boyfriend…"

My mom scoffed, " _Boyfriend_? When did that happen?!"

"Relax, Mom… I screened him for potential danger and he's actually a really good kid. She really seems happy with him."

"Well send her our way sometime… we miss little Nami," Dad told me, "Now… can we eat or what?"

x-x-x-x-x

"That was insane… I seriously thought your dad was going to murder me," Van said, putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.

"I can't believe your mom outed Sora at the dinner table!" I laughed, standing up and stretching, "Ooh… ow… what the hell was that?"

Van nearly dropped the bottle of dishwashing liquid, "What's wrong? Are you in pain?"

"No… I just… I think the babies are moving! Come feel!" I motioned for him to come over, lifting up my dress to see.

He put his hand on my belly and grinned, "Oh my goodness! I feel it!"

"Lets go up to bed…" I told him, yawning heavily, "I'm exhausted after all of that…"

I squealed as he suddenly lifted me right off my feet, carrying me up the stairs, "So we're getting married, huh? Guess I'd better buy you a ring."

"Well! Would you rather I let my dad kill you?" I chuckled, hanging onto him tightly.

"Oh no, believe me… I'm happier than ever," he laid me down in our bed, slipping my dress off of me.

I looked up at him innocently, "You're so sweet, Van…"

He handed me my pajama shorts and top, shrugging, "I'll always be there to take care of you, babe…"

"Come snuggle with me…" I pulled on his arm, pouting a little.

"All right, lemme go put my pajama pants on first!" he laughed, fending me off long enough to change and hit the lights.

I latched myself onto him the moment he got in bed, snuggling up and closing my eyes.

"Jeez, Kairi… what's gotten into you today?" he asked, chuckling as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm just happy… Now that our parents know, things are going to be so much more… normal!"

"Noo, don't jinx it!" he whined, "Knowing us, something will find a way to corrupt our happiness…"

I huffed, "Don't think like that! Everything is going to be okay now."

"If you say so…"

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Aww, everything is okay. …For now. ;P I have so much drama cooked up for you guys… you're not even gonna know what to do!

I'd say we have some happy grandparents, no? Seemed a little touch and go with Kairi's dad, but… it's only 'cause he cares about his little girl!

Continue leaving me your wonderufl reviews! I'll see you next time!

 _Simply Rexene_


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**A/N:** Finally there's some peace in the kingdom… don't expect it to last too long! ;P

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Five**

x-x-x-x-x

"Are you okay, Kairi?" Van looked up from the crib he was trying to put together in the nursery.

"No… little Eli won't stop kicking me. I think he's trying to run a marathon in there…" I rubbed at my tummy, sitting in the rocking chair we had set up in the corner. "Come talk to your son! See if you can get him to calm the fuck down."

He chuckled, walking over and kneeling down in front of me, "Now, come on Elijah… we talked about this. You can't keep abusing your mother like this!"

"Oh thank goodness… your voice always calms him down…" I relaxed a little as he settled back down.

"I figured as much… Maisie was quite the active little girl when Aqua was pregnant. A little talking to always worked."

I smiled down at my belly, "Reagan isn't too bothersome. She just likes to squirm around occasionally."

"That's my good girl…" he laughed, leaning up and giving me a kiss, "Now… if Eli will allow me, I'll finish putting together his crib."

As he went back to work, I chattered at him a bit. "You know, I think I finally came up with a good middle name for Eli. What do you think about Flynn?"

"Elijah Flynn… I like it! When did you think of that?"

I shrugged, "I dunno… I've had a lot of free time lately because _somebody_ will barely let me lift a finger."

"Well… I've been thinking about Reagan. What about Marie? It's my mother's middle name…"

"It's perfect!" I exclaimed, "Reagan Marie… how absolutely darling! Ooh, now I can tell all of my friends that we decided on the names!"

He rolled his eyes, "You're ridiculous… Do people usually even choose names this early?"

"I'm already at 24 weeks! I'm gonna be in my third trimester in like a month!"

"Wow… has it already been that long? It feels like yesterday that we were hatefucking in the basement," he joked, glancing over his shoulder at me.

I hushed him, "Shh! They don't need to know that…"

"Right, because they understand our every word," he shook his head, turning back to the crib.

"Hey, are your parents doing something for Thanksgiving?"

He raised an eyebrow, "What, you don't want to host it, do you? Kairi, you really should take it easy…"

"No, actually… Riku and Leon have invited everybody over to their place and I wanted to make sure your family didn't expect us."

"Ooh, we'll get to see little Benny… he's so adorable!" Van just loved babies, I guess… not that I minded. It was pretty damn cute.

I giggled, "I can't believe he's three months old already… Everything has just been happening so fast!"

"Well, let Riku know that we'll be there. It'll be nice to see everyone again."

"And get this—Sora is bringing Cloud! Turns out that Cloud and Leon are pretty good friends, so Riku's been telling me all about them… I guess Cloud's got it for Sora pretty bad, and it seems like he's returning the feelings. I think they're both finally ready to call it a real relationship!"

Van sighed in relief, "Finally! They've been dancing around it for so long I was wondering if they were really going to make it…"

"I wish he'd talk to us more about it… but I understand why it tweaks him out. I never really expected to be watching my ex-husband date another man."

"Well… I can't wait to meet this Cloud guy. Technically he's the one that saved this household from falling apart at the seams."

x-x-x-x-x

"Kairi, you're here!" Selphie squealed, attacking me with a hug the moment we stepped into Riku's house.

"Sorry we're late… I was having some wicked heartburn," I told her, chuckling, "Is everyone else here already?"

She nodded, "Yeah, we're just about to sit down for dinner. Oh my God, Kairi… Cloud is so cute! You're going to love him."

"Thanks for the heads up?" I followed her into the dining room where everyone was taking their seats.

"Kairi, Vani! It's so good to see you!" Riku nearly leapt over the table for a hug, "Where's Namine?"

I smirked, "Where do you think? Roxas invited her over and I couldn't say no…"

"I thought we talked about the nickname, Riku… It's Van or Vanitas. I don't do the Vani thing," he set Riku straight as he shook his hand.

"Sorry, Van…" he mumbled, "Well come in and sit down!"

I looked around, waving to Tidus as Selphie sat down next to him. Finally my eyes settled on Sora, who was sitting next to a very tall, very built man.

"Hey Kai…" Sora shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Uhm… This is Cloud. Cloud, this is Kairi and Vanitas."

"Yeah, I kinda noticed," the blond cracked a smile, "Nice to meet you both."

I returned his smile, sitting down next to Selphie. "Where's Leon?"

"He's putting Benny down for his nap… little guy fell asleep right when everybody showed up, so you're going to have to wait to see him," Riku informed us, making Selphie and I pout.

"Damn… he's just too cute!" she squealed, "I don't think I can wait…"

Suddenly Leon appeared behind us, a baby monitor attached to his hip, "Well you're not going to have to if you keep screeching. Thankfully he seems to be able to sleep through anything…"

"Sorry," she giggled, quieting down.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Leon!" I told him, waving from across the table.

He grinned at me, "Same to you, lovely. You really carry off your pregnancy well."

"Why thank you, Leon! You're always so sweet."

Cloud snorted, "Right…"

The entire table turned to look at him, all of us thoroughly confused.

"What?" he shrugged, "I've known him a lot longer than any of you. He definitely wasn't always so 'sweet.'"

Leon jabbed him in the side, "Knock it off, asshole, or I'll start sharing stories about _your_ colorful past."

"All right, all right…" he groaned, rubbing his side.

Selphie stared at both of them for a long time, "Did you two used to date or something?"

Riku nearly choked on his water, "What?"

Leon looked incredibly sheepish, "Maybe? But it was a really long time ago…"

"…How old are you guys anyway?" I wondered, realizing that Riku never really informed us of their age difference. Riku was 26, a year older than Sora.

"I'm 30," Leon told me, "Cloud's 32."

I chuckled, "Damn… we all must like older men."

"We're not that old!" Cloud defended them, "You guys are just… young."

"I'm that old," Van offered, "I just turned 35 last month."

His birthday was on Halloween, which made me happy inside. It fit him just ever so perfectly.

It was Selphie's turn to get sassy, "Besides which, I'm 23 and Tidus is 24. So it's not even weird."

"Damn… how is the youngest person at the table also the most pregnant?" I mused, making everyone laugh.

"I think the better question is… why aren't we eating yet?" Van pointed out, gesturing to the table full of absolutely delicious looking food.

Riku jumped a little, "Right! Everybody dig in!"

We all started filling up our plates, and I was glad that things didn't seem to be so awkward for Sora anymore. Cloud had kind of already broken the ice by knowing Leon, which seemed to help a lot.

"So… you _did_ used to date?" Riku glanced over at Leon and Cloud as we ate.

"In fucking high school," Cloud rolled his eyes, "It was barely even dating, and we both agreed that things were just so much better when we were friends."

Sora shrugged, "I don't care either way. I don't really have anywhere to talk regarding exes, considering that my ex-wife is sitting across from us."

"You guys are confusing…" Tidus spoke up finally. He wasn't very talkative… which I think was good for Selphie since she liked to just chatter on and on.

"Ooh… ow…" I mumbled as Eli decided to punch me in the spleen.

Van looked over at me, "You okay?"

"Mhmm…" I nodded, "Ooh! But I almost forgot, we have an announcement!"

Selphie was on the edge of her seat immediately, "Tell us, tell us!"

"We finally decided on names for the babies," I grinned happily, "Elijah Flynn and Reagan Marie."

"Oh my GOD! Those are the most adorable names EVER!" Selphie shrieked, immediately quieting down when she caught a collective glare from Riku and Leon.

Sora seemed to approve, "Nice choice."

I still had a haunting feeling in the bottom of my stomach about the paternity test, but… it was just better if he never knew. He seemed really happy with Cloud, and knowing that Eli was his would just ruin everything.

As everyone started to chat through dinner, I just tried to stay focused on how lucky I was to have all of these people in my life. To be sitting down civilly at Thanksgiving dinner with my ex-husband was something that most people could never do, so… I really couldn't ask for more. And even if he never knew that he was the father… he'd at least be Eli's uncle, right?

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** No, Kairi. You still need to tell him that he's a dad!

So you guys got _one_ more chapter of fluff out of me before shit hits the fan. Enjoy it! I didn't call this a drama for nothin'. ;P

Incidentally, I hope you guys like the names I chose! I wasn't getting any feedback on it, so I just went ahead and chose some names I really liked. ...Seriously, I'd probably name my own kids that if I wanted to have any. :P

Keep sending me your love! You guys are awesome.

 _Simply Rexene_


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

**A/N:** Things are about to get really bad, really fast… just keep in mind that it's not anywhere near over!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Six**

x-x-x-x-x

"Van, can you run to the store and get a few more strings of Christmas lights? I think the tree needs more sparkle," I grinned at him as he tried to untangle himself from a bundle of tinsel.

"I don't think we can get much more sparkle outta this thing…" he mumbled, "But if that's what you desire, I'll gladly go get some."

I grabbed him on his way to the door, pulling him down for a kiss, "You're the best fiance ever!"

"Next year you're helping me do all this crap!" he called over his shoulder as he left.

One of the perks of being pregnant with twins, I guess. I got twice as big, twice as fast which meant I spent twice as much time sitting on my ass. I'd just entered my third trimester at week 28, and I was sooo getting ready to have my twins already. I would miss being pregnant, but it was really making life difficult for me to be so gigantic. I couldn't even shave my legs anymore! Van had to do it for me… which was definitely an interesting experience. He was shockingly good at it, but I guess it didn't surprise me since he was always clean shaven. I'd never even seen him with so much as a shadow before.

I was just about to recline in my chair and take a quick nap when the doorbell started ringing as if someone was about to be murdered outside. It took me a minute to get to my feet, but I eventually made it to the door and checked who is was in the peephole.

"Xion? What're you doing here?" I asked as I opened the door to my older sister.

"They let me out for the holidays and I… I wanted to see Namine… can I see Namine?" she sounded strange… and she looked like shit.

I stepped aside to let her in, "Namine isn't here right now… she's with her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? How long has she had a boyfriend?!" she exclaimed, her whole body looking kind of jittery.

"It's been about …sevenish months?" I guessed, seeing as they started dating right around when I got pregnant. Not that Xion seemed to notice or care.

Xion scratched at her arm as she paced around in the living room nervously, "I need to see her… when is she going to be home?"

"I… I'm not sure… his parents are throwing a big Christmas party, so it might go late," I told her, "…Do Mom and Dad know you're in town?"

She shook her head, "No… I don't want to see them. I just want Namine. I want… I want my daughter…"

Something was definitely not right here… she was using again, I was sure of that. "Maybe you should try to sober up before she gets home… Drink some water, take a nap?"

"Of course you'd think I was high… you never trusted me, Kairi… you're a fucking horrible sister. I never should have left Namine with you… I need to take her home… She needs to come home with me."

My eyes followed her back and forth… she never stopped moving, "What home, Xion? The rehab center? Mom and Dad had to move into a tiny apartment just so they could afford to send you there… You have nowhere to go."

"I didn't ask for them to send me there. I was doing absolutely fine on my own," she growled, her long black trench coat following her every move with a flourish.

"Xion, I think you need to go back to the center… I'll bring Namine over to visit, okay?"

"No!" she barked, her normally bright blue eyes a dull grey that didn't fit her, "I'm not going back there! They treat you like shit!"

I stepped towards her, "Then we'll find somewhere else for you to stay… Let me call Mom and Dad and we'll get everything sorted out, okay?"

The second I pulled my phone out of my pocket, she snatched it and threw it hard against the wall, "Don't you fucking dare! Just get me my daughter! I want my Namine!"

"Calm down!" I exclaimed, feeling a prompt kick in the ribs from Eli. He probably wasn't enjoying all of this yelling… "You're upsetting the twins, Xion. They're incredibly sensitive to sound right now!"

"Shut the fuck up! You don't even deserve to have your own kids, not while you're holding mine hostage from me! What, Namine wasn't enough for you?!"

Now she just wasn't making sense, and I was starting to get a little freaked out. Of course she would show up when I was alone… "You know how much I love Namine! Why would I have taken her in if I didn't love her?!"

"You're a terrible guardian, letting her stay out this fucking late with her boyfriend!" she shouted, then started mumbling to herself creepily, "I've got to get her out… We need to get out of this shithole… I need to get her back, my Namine…"

"Xion—"

"No! You don't get to talk anymore! Sit the fuck down on the couch! We're going to sit here and wait for Namine to come home and I'm taking her with me!"

I refused to move, "Xion, just let me take you somewhere that can help you sober up… I don't want her to see you like this. Please—"

My words were cut short as I suddenly found myself staring down the barrel of a handgun, "Sit. Down. Now."

My brain shut down for a moment, but my legs found their way to the couch and sat me down. "Xion, why are you doing this? I was never trying to steal Namine from you, you know that right?"

"Oh shut up! You sound just like Mom! That bitch never believed in me… none of you ever did!"

"Xion, look at what you're doing. You're pointing a gun at your only sister… your very, very pregnant sister at that! You wouldn't seriously shoot me, would you?!"

She just cackled, "Ohh, try me… When is she getting home?!"

"I don't know! Soon, I think?" I was more worried that Vanitas would come home first… she wouldn't shoot her daughter, but he's a stranger to her. She'd shoot him in a heartbeat.

"You'd better fucking hope so," she growled, "Now shut up. Your voice is fucking annoying."

My heart was pounding in my chest, my eyes locked on the cool black metal of the gun in her hand. _Don't come home, Van… please don't come home…_ All I could do was run through the different scenarios in my head… and none of them had the three of us walking away from this. I couldn't believe that my sister would do this to me… but I had to remember that it wasn't Xion thinking… it was the drugs.

I gasped softly as I heard a car pull into the driveway, my heart leaping up into my throat now. If it was Namine, she would just take her and go… and then I could call the police. If it was Van… she would kill him. She wouldn't hurt Namine… right? Something in my gut didn't exactly believe that sentence… But I couldn't believe that any of this was happening right now.

"I promise she won't mind!" I heard Namine's voice as the front door creaked open. Shit… she had Roxas with her. "Aunt Kairi, Roxas can come in, right? His family got really drunk and loud and we just wanted to get out of there."

She couldn't see Xion... "…No, Namine. You need to get back in your car and take him home," I told her, cringing a little at the look on Xion's face.

Namine could tell that something was wrong, "Aunt Kairi…?"

"Roxas, get her out of here!" I shrieked as Xion stepped in front of them with the gun in her hand.

"Mom?! What the hell are you doing?!" Namine screamed, grabbing Roxas' arm.

Xion had some kind of nervous twitch going as she turned the gun to Roxas, "Get the hell away from my daughter, now."

"Roxas, just listen to her!" I struggled to stand up from the couch.

But he wasn't going to listen… I could see the challenge in his eyes as he stepped in between Xion and Namine, "I'm not leaving her here with you."

Xion twitched again, "I'm not going to ask you again. Get the fuck away from my daughter."

"Mom, what're you doing?! Don't hurt him!" Namine looked absolutely terrified.

Roxas stood his ground, looking ready to murder her with his bare hands if she tried to touch Namine, "Drop the gun and back off. You don't need to do this."

I had never heard a gun go off before… but the ringing in my ears wasn't half as sickening as the sound of Roxas' body hitting the floor. I screamed in absolute terror as I tried to fathom what was happening right in front of my eyes.

"Roxas!" Namine cried out, dropping to her knees next to her boyfriend, "What the fuck did you do?!" she turned her attention up to her mother, who didn't even seem phased by it.

"Go pack your things, Namine! We're leaving this fucking shithole and you're coming home with me!" she shouted at her sobbing child, now training the gun on her.

Namine shook her head wildly, her platinum hair stained red with the blood of her boyfriend. "No! I'm not going anywhere with you! You're fucking insane! How could you do this?!"

Xion was busy paying attention to Namine now… if I could sneak up behind her and knock the gun out of her hand…

"Go upstairs and pack your stuff or I swear to fucking God I'll shoot you too!"

I lunged at her, gripping the arm holding the gun hard and yanking it back away from Namine. It scared the crap out of Xion, but she had a fucking death grip on that gun… I struggled with her for a minute but I had no center of gravity with my belly being so big and she managed to throw me onto my ass.

"Xion, please… don't—" I pleaded, but I was stopped short as the echo of the gun being fired shook through the house again. I didn't know where she hit me, only that my blood felt burning hot as it started to pool on the floor beneath me, and then sickeningly cold as it began to congeal.

"Aunt Kairi!" I could hear Namine sobbing and shrieking… and as her voice started to fade away, all I could do was pray to God that I didn't hear another gunshot before I passed out.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** I warned you guys that shit was about to get cray… Drugs are BAD, people. Don't do them, 'kay?

I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this… keep reviewing!

Love you all,

 _Simply Rexene_


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**A/N:** I don't usually do this, but I backed myself into a wall here. I'm going to be writing from Van's point of view for a bit, so hopefully it doesn't get too confusing for you guys.

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Seven**

 _From the Point of View of Vanitas_

x-x-x-x-x

I slammed the door of my truck, nearly dropping the bag of Christmas lights as I fumbled with the keys to lock it. I hated parking on the street, but that damned boyfriend of Namine had his piece of shit car in my spot again.

Once more I was fumbling with my keys at the front door, only to find that it wasn't even locked. I pushed it open, but it stopped after a few inches, thudding against something heavy.

I nearly gagged as an unfamiliar stench hit my nose, slamming my shoulder against the door in an attempt to push it the rest of the way open. I finally worked it open enough to get in, but nothing could have prepared me for what I found on the other side.

"Roxas…" my heart nearly stopped and I dropped the bag of lights, immediately falling to my knees to check his pulse. "Fuck… holy shit…" I mumbled, letting his lifeless hand slip from mine as I realized that he was dead. I pulled myself back to my feet, my eyes falling on the gunshot wound in his chest. And then my heart sank even further, "Kairi…"

"Kairi!" I shouted, running into the house. I yelped as I tripped over something, landing on the carpeting with a disturbing "squelch." I looked behind me, my eyes hardly able to focus on the picture in front of me. "Kairi…" my hands were shaking as I scrambled over to her, grabbing her wrist and hoping beyond all hope that I could find a pulse.

The second that I knew she was still alive I yanked my phone out of my pocket, quickly dialing 9-1-1. But when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out.

"This is 9-1-1, what is your emergency? …Hello?"

"I… I need help…" I croaked out, pulling Kairi into my lap, "My fiancé… she was shot… she's pregnant…"

The dispatcher remained very calm, "What is your location, Sir? We'll have an ambulance out to you as soon as we possibly can."

"1015 Leonard Boulevard… please hurry… There's a kid here too, he… he's dead…"

"Do you know what happened, Sir?"

I could barely form an answer, "N…no… I came home and found them like this… they were both shot…"

"We've sent help, they'll be there shortly. Where has your fiancé been shot?"

"I don't… it looks like the right side of her chest maybe? There's so much blood…"

"Do you have anything you can use to compress the wound? We need to stop her from bleeding any further."

I looked around, grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch and wadding it up, "Yeah… I found something…"

"Good, hold as much pressure as you can to the wound until the paramedics arrive. Is there a door unlocked that they can access you from?"

"Uhm… yeah, but the kid… he's blocking the way…" I glanced over at Roxas, my chest tightening. He looked so cold…

She cleared her throat, "This might be difficult, but we're going to need you to move him. The paramedics will need to get to your fiancé as soon as possible."

"But you said to keep pressure on her wound!"

"Move quickly… they're going to arrive very shortly, but they need the doorway clear. The moment you're done you can return to her."

I untangled myself from Kairi, setting her down gently before approaching Roxas. I didn't even know how to move him… everything about it just seemed wrong. But I sucked it up and grabbed him under the arms, dragging him into the living room and out of the way of the paramedics. I laid him back down and ran over to her, putting pressure on her chest again.

"Okay… he's moved…" I grabbed my phone again, hoping that the dispatcher was still there.

"Good. They should be there any second now."

On cue, I could see the flashing lights outside the front windows. Paramedics ran in followed by a couple of police officers. They quickly pulled me off of her and the police took me into the kitchen to talk while they did their work.

"Can we have your name, Sir?"

"Vanitas Hikari… her name is Kairi Hikari and his is Roxas Kaito."

He scribbled them down in his notebook, "Now what exactly happened here?"

"I… I have no idea. I was out at the store and I came home and… they were both shot…"

"Does anybody else live in the house?"

I suddenly realized that Namine was nowhere to be found, "Fuck… Namine Star. She's Kairi's niece, and the kid's girlfriend…. I need to find her, she might be in the house somewhere…"

"We'll have one of our officers search the house," he nodded to his partner, who ran off.

"Do you know of anybody that might want to hurt you or your family?"

The first thought that came to mind was Terra, but he would never hurt his little brother. "I… I have no idea! We don't have any enemies or anything!"

"Calm down, Sir… we're just trying to figure out what happened."

"And you think I'm not a little curious?! I… I need to be with my fiancé. She's pregnant with twins…"

He scribbled that down too, "They're going to be taking both of them to Destiny General. Does the boy have any family we should notify?"

"Uhm… yeah, check his cellphone? He's got a pretty big family I think…"

The other officer returned to the kitchen, "We did a full sweep, she's not here."

"That's not right… her boyfriend wouldn't have been here without her. Someone must have taken her!" I told them, though they didn't even seem concerned.

"We can't file a missing persons report until she's been gone for 24 hours. Are you sure she couldn't be responsible for this?"

I gave him a stupid look, "She's fucking 17 years old! I don't exactly think she's capable of buying a gun and killing her boyfriend! She would never have done this…"

"Do you know anybody who would've wanted to take her?"

I thought for a long moment… and then it hit me, "Her mother… Xion Star. She's a drug addict… She's supposed to be in rehab right now, but God knows if that's actually where she is…"

"And she has motivation to hurt them?"

"I have no idea, I've never met her! But I guess if she wanted Namine back… I don't know!"

One of the paramedics ran in, "We've got her stable, so we're heading out to Destiny General."

"We'll meet you there. We just need a little more information."

I wanted to go with them, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen.

"Can you tell us their ages?"

"Kairi is 22… she's 28 weeks pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl… Roxas just turned 19 I think…"

He nodded, "Is she on any medication other than prenatals?"

"No, not that I know of… I've never seen her take anything. …Can I go soon? Like, won't they just ask me this at the hospital?"

"We just need to have the information for our records, Sir. Does she have any conditions? Diabetes, heart problems…?"

I growled, "No! She was perfectly healthy!"

After some more ridiculous and stupid questions he finally put his notebook away. "All right… You're free to go to the hospital now. We're going to launch a full investigation on the matter, and we will find your niece."

The moment he said that I grabbed my keys off the floor and ran out to my truck. I was covered in blood… the stench kept wafting into my nose as I drove, but I didn't care… all I cared about was that Kairi and the babies were safe.

And Namine… poor Namine. If this really was her mother, this was going to be ten times more difficult for her. How could you kill your daughter's boyfriend? And shoot your own sister?!

I slammed my fists on the steering wheel as I came to another red light. I just wanted to get there… I wanted to hold Kairi in my arms and hear her sweet voice again…

Sora. I needed to call Sora.

"Hey bro, what's up?"

"Sora… you need to meet me at Destiny General…" I mumbled, my voice cracking into the phone.

He paused for a moment, "Wait… what? Why?"

"It's Kairi… her psychopathic sister shot her and killed Namine's boyfriend… She's alive, but I don't know how long that'll be true…"

There was another pause and a lot of shuffling… I think he might have dropped his phone, "Holy shit… Roxas is dead? You… you're serious?"

"Just meet me at the hospital!" I shouted, hanging up on him. I had to focus on driving… I didn't want to end up in the hospital as well.

I didn't even know how I would function without Kairi. This was flooding back every memory of the night Aqua and Maisie died…

No. I couldn't think about it. Just drive…

Just get there.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Don't kill me for killing Roxas! D: It hurts me as much as it hurts you! *sobs uncontrollably*

Poor Van… having to relive his worst nightmare… *sobs even more!*

Hope you guys still like the story! Keep leaving reviews so I know what you think!

Until next time…

 _Simply Rexene_


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

**A/N:** Sorry that it's been so long! I've been very busy finding a new job, but I have much more flexible hours so my updates should still come out a few times a week!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Eight**

 _From the Point of View of Vanitas_

x-x-x-x-x

"Sir… Sir?"

"Hmm? What?" I mumbled, peeling my eyes open slowly. When they settled on a doctor I stood straight up immediately, "Kairi!" How the fuck had I fallen asleep?

The doctor held out a pair of scrubs, "We guessed these were about your size… would you like to change out of those clothes?"

I looked down at my blood-caked t-shirt, sighing heavily, "Yeah… thank you. Any updates?"

She squirmed a little, "No… she's still in surgery. But we've got the best team of surgeons we have working on her. She's in good hands."

"And… the kid?"

"They pronounced him dead the minute he got here… there was nothing they could do, he bled out almost immediately after being shot."

I ran a hand through my hair, "Wow… Did they contact his family?"

"Yeah… they were all wasted from their Christmas party, but I think his oldest brother is going to come down and… identify the body for us…"

"Shit… is he going to come through here?"

My heart sank as I could feel somebody looming behind me, "Yeah, he is."

I turned around to face Terra, but I didn't even have the energy to be afraid of him, "Terra… I'm so sorry about Roxas…"

"Let's start with the obvious one, shall we?" he sneered, "How the fuck did you know my brother, and why were you involved with his death?"

I raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't involved, actually. But if you must know, he was dating my fiance's niece. Namine lives with us, and now she's been abducted. I had absolutely nothing to do with any of it… I just came home and found them like that."

"Right… it didn't have anything at all to do with you. Like I believe that. Everyone you bring into your pathetic excuse for a life ends up dying. First you kill Aqua and your poor daughter and now my brother and your fiance!"

I felt like curling up into a ball and dying… but instead I found my fist making hard contact with his face, "You son of a bitch! Aqua and Maisie died in a car accident! I wasn't even fucking there!"

The tiny doctor squeaked and grabbed my arm, "Stop it! Both of you guys are obviously grieving right now, and this is not the time or place to settle your disputes!"

I shook her off, glaring down at him as he pulling himself back up to his feet, "Don't you ever accuse me of killing my wife, you piece of shit, or I'm going to tell the police why she left you in the first place."

Terra growled at me, wiping his face on his sleeve as he regained his composure, "You wouldn't fucking dare. I have just as much shit on you that I'm sure your little fiance would just love to hear."

"Seriously, guys… if you don't break it up now I'm going to have to call security," the doctor stepped in between us, looking like a midget compared to our height.

I backed off, grabbing the scrubs she'd given me, "Where can I change?"

"There's a bathroom through that door…" she said, "Mr. Kaito, I'll take you to see Roxas now…"

x-x-x-x-x

I walked out of the bathroom in the scrubs, my shirt and pants now in the trash. Even if I could get the blood out, I don't think I could handle wearing them…

"Mr. Hikari?"

I turned towards the familiar voice, "Yes! Hi! You're…?"

"Dr. Gainsborough. I've been your wife's doctor for some time now," she reminded me.

The fact that she was in a pair of pink scrubs that were covered in blood was unsettling to me, "Right… is she okay?"

"Kairi is doing just fine, but… I'm afraid we've had to deliver the babies."

"The babies…?" I couldn't wrap my mind around it, "But… she was only 28 weeks. They… they'd never survive!"

She shook her head, "They're both alive, Vanitas… they actually have about a 75 to 85 percent chance of surviving."

I looked up at her, "They… they're alive?"

"They're alive, Vanitas. Elijah is doing very well, actually. Reagan is having a little more trouble, but we've got her hooked up to a ventilator and she's becoming more stable as we speak."

"Can… can I see them?"

She smiled a little, "Of course… they'll need to remain in their incubators, but you're more than welcome to sit with them."

Aerith squeaked as I pulled her into a tight hug, "Thank you so much… thank you for saving them…"

"You're welcome, Van… It might be inappropriate for me to say, but I've grown quite attached to your little family. Let me walk you up to the neonatal unit and then I'll get you an update on Kairi."

I followed her to the next floor up, where they gowned me and gave me a paper face mask to put on. The room was filled with so many babies in incubators, but I knew immediately which two were mine.

"Here they—oh… okay," she giggled as I went straight for them.

"They're perfect…" I marvelled, taking in the sight of my son and daughter. They were so weird looking being premature, but they were still gorgeous… "I can't touch them, can I?"

She sighed, "Well… usually I would say no, but as long as you're incredibly gentle…"

I immediately perked up, "I will be!"

"All right… you can reach through the side there, but I'm serious… they're very susceptible to bruising right now. Their skin and muscles haven't fully developed yet."

I went to Elijah first, reaching through the side and stroking my finger against his arm. He was so tiny… but so warm. It shocked me when suddenly his little tiny hand was wrapped around my finger, holding on pretty tight for such a little guy!

"He already loves you…" Dr. Gainsborough mused, watching me interact with him.

"Hi, Eli! It's your daddy…" I spoke softly through the opening, "You'll meet your mom soon, I promise…"

His head tilted just a little bit towards me, though his eyes weren't open yet. I tried to pull my finger back to say hi to Reagan, but he didn't want to let go.

"Here… I'll bring her over," Aerith giggled, wheeling Reagan closer to me so I could reach her with my other hand.

"She's so tiny…" I mumbled, my eyes scanning her little body. She was much smaller than her brother, but she seemed like a fighter to me.

She didn't react quite the same to my touch as Eli did, so I just kept stroking her softly with one finger, careful not to hurt her, "You'll make it, baby girl… just keep fighting."

"I'm going to get an update on Kairi… they were about done with her surgery when I came to get you," Dr. Gainsborough gave my shoulder a thoughtful squeeze before exiting the room.

I had the most absolutely perfect little babies ever… now I just needed my future wife to pull through.

x-x-x-x-x

"We were able to repair the damage from the gunshot fairly easily… but there were some other complications that we couldn't forsee…"

I stared at Kairi as she laid in her hospital bed, unable to fathom the condition that she was in, "Complications…? What could have been that complicated?!"

"Mr. Hikari, your fiance had a tiny brain aneurysm that ruptured when she fell from the gunshot. She was bleeding into her brain. Our neurosurgeon was able to repair the aneurysm, but… we won't know if there was any permanent damage done until she wakes up."

My eyes trailed up to the bandaging on her head, the sight making my stomach flip, "So… she had brain surgery? I… I don't understand…"

"Uncle Van!"

The sudden outburst behind me scared the crap out of me, as did the tiny blonde girl attaching herself around my waist. "…Namine? You're okay!"

"My mom passed out in the car and I ran for the nearest store and had them call the police. Is Aunt Kairi okay? Where's Roxas?"

My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach, "Namine… who's talked to you?"

"I talked to the police about what happened… but then I begged them to bring me here to see Kairi and Roxas. Why?" she tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Where… where is Xion now?"

Namine motioned behind her, "She's down in the emergency room handcuffed to a bed having her stomach pumped… They think she overdosed."

"But… but you're okay?"

"I'm fucking terrified… but I'm physically okay. So where's Roxas? Is Kairi going to be okay? What about the babies?" she was asking a billion questions that I didn't have the answers for…

I pried her away from me, "Namine, you need to sit down… Let me get you some water, and then I'll tell you everything…"

She looked like hell, but she didn't seem to want to give in. "Just tell me, Vanitas... I can take it."

"Kairi is going to be okay… they had to deliver the babies, but they're both stable right now."

"So… Roxas?"

I shook my head, "I'm sorry, Namine… They did everything they could…"

"No… No, you're lying…" she sat down in the chair in the corner, curling up into a ball, "No…"

"His older brother is here… I can take you to see them if you'd like," I offered, very uncomfortable with this situation. Kairi would know exactly how to handle it…

The doctor that had been standing there must've seen the distress I was in because she stepped forward, "I can take you, Namine… We'll leave Vanitas with Kairi in case she wakes up, okay?"

Namine nodded, allowing the doctor to pull her to her feet, "Okay…"

"If Kairi wakes, press the call button above her bed there… Somebody will be right in with you."

"All right… thank you. And Namine, I'll be here for you… I've called your grandparents and Sora should be here soon… he was out of town with Cloud for the holiday. Everybody should be arriving within the hour, so…"

"I got it, Van… thanks," she mumbled, "I… I hope Aunt Kairi is okay…"

I just hoped that Namine would be okay after all of this… to have your own mother kill your boyfriend and shoot your aunt? Life wasn't going to be normal for her for a long time…

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** Again… sorry it took so long to update.

So I didn't go into Namine's reaction too much because Van was so uncomfortable with the situation that he didn't really know how to handle it. We'll see more about her mental status later… Poor girl.

I love you all and I'm sorry I kept you waiting! I hope you still like the story… the next chapter is going to be a doozy.

Until then!

 _Simply Rexene_


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

**A/N:** You guys are about to bawl your eyes out… just a warning! :3

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Twenty Nine**

 _From the Point of View of Vanitas_

x-x-x-x-x

"Sora…"

My ears perked up as I heard the tiniest little voice sound, "Kairi?" I jumped up and stood beside her, grabbing her hand tight, "Kairi, how do you feel? Are you okay?"

Her perfect blue eyes fluttered open slowly, but they weren't filled with joy to see me… "Vanitas? What the fuck are you doing? Let go! Where's Sora?!"

I dropped her hand, backing up slowly, "Kairi… do you remember what happened…?"

"Am I in the hospital? Good Lord, my head hurts… what the hell happened? What did you do?!"

"Kairi, honey… you were shot. Xion shot you and kidnapped Namine," I told her, incredibly concerned by her apparent lack of memory.

She attemped to sit up, but was met with an intense looking pain, "Why are you calling me honey? That's fucking disgusting. Where the hell is Sora?"

I reached up and pressed the call button, tears springing up into my eyes, "They delivered the babies, Kairi… they're both just perfect…"

"Babies? What the fuck are you talking about? Get the fuck out of here!"

"You really… you don't remember? Kairi, we're engaged. We have twins… You and Sora have been divorced for months!"

Her eyes widened and she looked ready to panic, "Nurse! Nurse please help me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, alerting the entire hospital.

"Kairi, you need to calm down… you just went through three major surgeries at once! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"I don't know what you're talking about! Get the fuck out of my room you creep! Where is my husband?!"

I didn't know what to do… but the nurses came running in to calm her down. I grabbed the doctor that had given me the scrubs earlier, "She doesn't remember… me, the babies… she still thinks she's married to her ex-husband. She has no idea what happened…"

"It's very common after brain surgery to have some memory loss… but shouting the truth at her isn't going to help. She needs to stay calm or she's going to bleed through her sutures," she told me, keeping her voice hushed as the nurses tried to calm her down, "We don't want to have to sedate her… is there any way that her ex-husband can come in?"

"He's on his way from out of town… He should be here any moment. But… will she ever remember? I mean… they're her children…"

She shifted on her feet uncomfortably, "There's no way to be sure… it could be temporary, or It could be permanent… We'll just have to see. But you seem to upset her quite a bit… it would probably be best if you stayed out of her room for now."

I stared at her for a moment, "You're seriously asking me to leave my sick fiance alone right now?"

"If you truly want to help her, yes…"

"No… no, I can't leave her. I'll get through to her, I will," I folded my arms over my chest, looking over at Kairi as she settled back down against her pillows.

The doctor just sighed, "All right… but if she has another panic attack we're going to have to call security to escort you out."

As the room cleared again, I walked up to Kairi, "Listen to me… I know that all of this is terrifying. Even if you did remember what happened, it would still be just… horrifying. But we have a future together and I'm not giving up on it…"

She narrowed her eyes on me, "Start from the beginning and tell me everything."

x-x-x-x-x

"No… it's just not possible. I mean, kudos to you for coming up with such an insane story, but… there's no way that I'd ever cheat on Sora. …Or that he'd be gay? I mean, where did you come up with that nonsense?"

Okay, so even if she didn't believe me at least she was staying calm. "I'm telling you the truth, Kairi. Sora is about to show up with a tall blond man named Cloud. He wasn't here because they went on a ski trip for Christmas together."

"Christmas… Jeez, I feel like it's still spring…" she mumbled, shifting a little bit in her bed, "So… I was pregnant? Really?"

"The babies are just gorgeous, Kairi… Seriously, you're going to fall in love with them the moment you meet them."

She shrugged, "I mean… I guess I might. I just don't feel like… like a mother. Sora and I never even wanted kids."

"Just… just wait until you see them. Maybe they'll jog your memory back."

"I still think you're just fucking with me, Van… there's no way we were engaged! That's just insane!"

Suddenly I remembered something, grabbing a little box with a big red bow on it from the little table in the corner of the room, "I had been keeping this in the glove compartment of my truck until Christmas morning because I didn't want you to see it and ruin the surprise… When they told me that they'd finally put you in a room I ran down and grabbed it because I wanted to give it to you when you woke up…"

She took it from me and fiddled with the wrapping paper, the little monitor on her finger making it difficult for her. When she eventually got it open, she gasped softly at the sight of the engagement ring settled on a bed of red velvet. "Vanitas… what is this?"

"I'd kind of proposed to you out of the blue when we found out that I was the father, so… I never got you a proper ring. I would have given it to you sooner, but I was having it custom made. There's an inscription on the inside of the band…"

"You are the beauty to my beast…" she read, smiling just a little. But then her lips turned down into a frown and she handed it back to me, "I'm sorry, but… I just don't remember loving you, Vanitas. My heart belongs to Sora."

And I could feel my heart breaking to pieces inside my chest. "…All right. I will… hang onto this until you remember everything."

"But… what if I never do? I mean, I don't even remember a little bit… it feels like you're just telling me a really weird story about someone else's life."

"I'm not going to give up hope… you'll remember soon, I know it."

We both looked up as Sora came bursting into the room, "Kairi! Holy shit, you look like hell!"

"Gee thanks…" she mumbled, "First Vanitas starts telling me this crazy ass story about us being engaged, and now my own husband is insulting me!"

"Husband…? Kairi, our divorce was finalized a month ago. …And I thought you _were_ engaged," he stepped into the room, taking the seat next to me.

Kairi just groaned, "Oh fuck… he wasn't lying…"

Sora looked over at me, thoroughly confused, "What gives?"

"She doesn't remember anything… Apparently she had a small brain aneurysm that burst when she was shot, so they had to do brain surgery and it must have fucked up her memory. She still thinks it's springtime and that you're happily married."

"Well shit… Is it permanent?"

I sighed, "There's no way to tell… she doesn't even remember being pregnant."

"So where is this Cloud guy that Vanitas has been telling me about? He was lying about that part, right?" Kairi chimed in, looking out into the hallway.

"He's trying to find a parking space… Sorry, Kai… he wasn't lying."

She huffed a little, "This feels like a dream… We were so happy together, Sora! How could I ever love … _him_ over you?"

The way she looked at me when she said that made me want to curl up and die in the corner.

"Kairi, I know it sounds insane but… Van really loves you. Maybe you shouldn't be referencing him like the thought of loving him digusts you," Sora actually stood up for me, something I never thought I'd see.

"Right… sorry, Vanitas…" she trailed off, "I'm getting really sleepy…"

I smiled a bit, "It's okay… get some sleep. I think you deserve it after the day you've had."

Sora tugged on my arm, "Can we talk outside?"

"Yeah…" I stood up, following him out of the room and hitting the lights on the way, "Thanks for coming down here, Sora…"

"Of course. She might not be my wife any more, but I still care about her. And… you're my brother. I wanted to be here for you too. How are you doing? I know this must be hard after what happened to Aqua…"

We sat down in the waiting room, "It was incredibly difficult at first… I think I actually passed out in the waiting room earlier from worrying too much. But now that she's okay and the twins are doing well…"

"The twins… they're here? They were born?"

"Yeah, they had to deliver them while she was in surgery. Eli is doing really well… Reagan is on a ventilator, but other than that… she's perfect."

Cloud appeared out of the elevator, rushing over to us, "So?"

"Kairi is fine, but she has some pretty bad memory loss. And… Van was just telling me that they delivered the babies and they're doing very well," Sora told him, "She's asleep now, so… just have a seat with us."

As we talked, my mind just kept darting back to the way she looked at me… I never thought I'd see that look again. It was truly a look of hatred.

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** I warned you! Poor Vanitas… D: His heart won't be able to take much more!

Sorry my updates don't come as quickly anymore! I'm currently leaving the house at 4:30 in the morning to go do updos for an entire wedding party including the bride… all by myself! Yay! I was glad to bang out this update before I left though!

Until next time!

 _Simply Rexene_


	30. Chapter Thirty

**A/N:** So… this is going to be the last chapter of Beast in the Basement. But before you panic, I'm going to be continuing it right away! This will become part one, and there'll be a part two and maybe even a part three. I dunno yet. :P Anyways… Enjoy!

x-x-x-x-x

 **Chapter Thirty**

 _From the Point of View of Vanitas_

x-x-x-x-x

"Come on… you'll absolutely adore them," I told Kairi as I pushed her through the halls of the hospital in her wheelchair.

"I'm not sure if I should be up like this… my incisions are still really sore…"

I rolled my eyes, "It's not like you're walking. You need to see your babies, Kai. They need their mother right now."

She seemed incredibly disinterested, but I wasn't about to give up.

"All right… here we are," I grinned as I pushed her through the threshold of the NICU. Eli and Reagan were in their usual spot beside each other, and I couldn't wait for her to meet them. The nurse gowned us and made us put masks on before we could get through the second set of doors, so by the time I wheeled her up to their incubators I was dying with anticipation.

"So… this is them?"

I nodded, "This is Elijah Flynn… you came up with his name. And this perfect little girl is Reagan Marie."

She wrinkled her nose, "Reagan? I don't know if I like that…"

"Yeah, we argued about it for awhile… but you saw how set on it I was and eventually just let me choose it," I told her, pulling up a chair next to her. "You can put your hand through here, you know… Eli really likes to hold hands, and Reagan just loves the contact."

Kairi shook her head, "N…no… I don't think so… They look too fragile…"

I sighed and let Elijah grab onto my finger again, "Well then… you can talk to them. Let them know who you are. They'll love hearing your voice."

"They can't understand me, Van… that's silly. Besides, they can hear me talking now anyways," she just kept staring down at her lap.

"They'll know the difference between us talking and you talking to them. Just say something."

She cleared her throat, "Uhm… hi babies… My name is Kairi… I guess I'm your mom…"

Reagan turned her head towards Kairi's voice immediately, making her jump out of her skin. "Kairi, calm down! I told you they'd listen."

"I want to go back to my room… I'm tired…" she pushed her chair backwards, heading for the door.

I leapt up and grabbed the handles, "Stop… Kairi, why don't you want to be with your own kids?"

"Because… they don't feel like my kids," she mumbled, "I know that sounds horrible, but I have absolutely no emotional connection to them… Just take me to my room, Van."

"No! Kairi, just sit with them! They're going to need you… You can't just abandon them!"

She paused for a moment, "They have you…"

"Kairi, don't do this…"

"Nurse? Can you take me back to my room now?"

As the nurse took her away I went back and sat down with Elijah and Reagan. Apparently… I was the only parent these babies were ever going to have.

x-x-x-x-x

"Van, it's been nearly two months… Do you think she's ever going to remember?"

"I don't know… and this household is slowly falling apart. Namine never comes out of her room anymore… I'm not even sure if she's eating. Kairi just lays in bed all day… I had to put the babies on formula because she refuses to feed them. I don't know what to do…"

Sora sighed into the reciever of the phone, "Damn… Do you want me to try to talk with her?"

"I don't think it'd help anything… I tried to talk to both of them and they just shut down on me. And Xion's trial starts next week, but I don't think either of them are in the right frame of mind to testify."

"I can at least try… And hey, has Terra still been bothering you?"

I groaned, "Yeah… as if my life hasn't been hard enough trying to raise twins by myself _and_ keep two women alive, he's still sending me threats."

"Jesus… I mean… I know it must have been hard to lose his brother, but it literally wasn't your fault in any way. Why does he hate you so much?"

I'd forgotten that Sora didn't really know the backstory about Aqua, "He… well, he's Aqua's ex-husband."

"Fuck, Van… what did you do?"

"It's not important anymore… he thinks that I'm the cause of all his unhappiness, including what happened to Roxas. Sora… he's beaten the shit out of me before and I was in the hospital for weeks. If he comes after me again, who's going to take care of Eli and Reagan?"

I could hear some rustling, "I'm coming to stay with you until he stops with the threats. This is insane… This whole fucking situation is insane."

"You don't have to do that, Sora… You and Cloud need to live your own lives."

"I'm not going to leave you alone to deal with this shit, Van… you need help. Cloud and I will both come over for awhile."

I sat down on the couch, "All right… but we don't have a guest room anymore. It's the nursery now. You guys can stay in the basement… I've been sleeping in the rocking chair with them anyways. They're about the only thing right now that keeps me sane…"

"How's Rae been? Is her health improving at all?"

"Yeah… her lungs get stronger every day. But I'm worried about her eyes… she doesn't seem to be following movement or anything. Just sound."

"That's weird… maybe you should get her in. Does Eli?"

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, "Yeah, he watches me all the time. But if I'm not making noise, she just stares into space. I'm worried about her…"

"Well… get her in to see Aerith. She'll know what to do. And try not to worry too much. Cloud and I will be over in a few hours, I just need to pack some stuff."

After we hung up I laid down on the couch with the baby monitor on my chest. My life was becoming absolutely insane… I'd only brought the babies home a week ago and I was already overwhelmed. I thought I'd have Kairi through everything, but she's completely shut down and shut me out… Poor Namine doesn't even talk anymore. She just sits in her room drawing pictures of Roxas and crying. The only thing that I had was my good health, and Terra was threatening to ruin that as well.

Ever since he found out where I lived, he'd been shoving death threats in the mailbox every week. He still hadn't acted on any of it, but it was just a matter of time. I was terrified all the time… he was the type to just snap and let his anger consume him. Once it boiled up to it's peak, he was going to come after me. I knew it. I really should have just called the police… but something kept stopping me. Going to trial against him might dig up more of my past than I ever wanted anyone to know.

"Vanitas?!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin and bolted up the stairs three at a time to get to the bedroom, "What? What's wrong?"

Kairi was trembling, sitting up on the bed and looking around, "What happened? Where's Xion? Is Namine safe?!"

I stared at her for a minute, "Uhm… yeah? She's in her room. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Xion… she shot me, right?"

"I'm confused, Kairi… it's been two months since she shot you. What's going on?"

Suddenly a panic swept over her even more intense than before, "The babies… what happened to the babies?!"

"Kairi… do you remember everything?"

"…Remember what? I don't remember anything since Xion was here! Where are my babies?!"

I think my heart stopped beating in my chest, "They're fine, Kairi… they're in the nursery. I can't believe it… Kai, you've had memory loss ever since you were shot. You had a small brain aneurysm that burst and… you didn't remember ever falling in love with me. You thought you were still married to Sora. I… I didn't think I'd ever get you back…"

"Come here," she reached for me, tears springing to her eyes.

I immediately sat down next to her on the bed, pulling her into my arms and holding her tight, "I love you Kairi… I love you so much…"

"I love you too, Vanitas… I can't believe I forgot that…" she mumbled into my chest, sniffling a little, "Will you bring the babies in? I need to see them!"

I stood back up, "Of course! They're asleep, but I don't think an earthquake could wake those guys. They sleep like the dead." I went to the nursery and picked up one of them in each arm, bringing them into the bedroom, "Which one do you want to hold?"

"Gimme Reagan first," she held her arms out, "I want to meet my little girl!"

I sat back down next to her and let her take Reagan, cradling Eli in my arms carefully.

"Oh… she's absolutely perfect…" Kairi leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, holding her close. She reached over to Eli, running her hand over his chubby little cheek, "And he's so handsome!"

"Just wait until they open their eyes… they both have the biggest, bluest eyes I've ever seen. Reagan's are a really light, icy blue… but Elijah's are a deep, intense blue… very similar to Sora's actually."

Kairi giggled, "Were you a little jealous that they didn't get your eyes?"

"I was kind of hoping that one of them would… but I couldn't be happier either way," I smiled down at my sleeping son.

"Van… I'm so sorry that I forgot you… That must have been so hard, especially after Aqua and Maisie… I can't even imagine what this has been like for you. I mean, I don't remember… forgetting… so I hope I wasn't too bitchy to you or anything…"

I just chuckled, "You know what, Kairi? It doesn't even matter. I have you now. You're back, and our babies are healthy and… I have never been happier."

She leaned up and gave me a kiss, something that I'd been missing so much, "I do kind of remember one thing… did you get me an engagement ring for Christmas?"

"Women… of course that's the one thing you'd remember," I teased her, giving her another kiss. I reached over to my beside table and fumbled around for the box, "I kept it in hopes that I'd get you back someday… and now I'd be honored if you'd wear it."

She shifted Reagan a little so that she could open the box, "Oh… it's even prettier than I remember…" she mused, picking it up and examining it, "And the inscription is so sweet…"

"Kairi… things might get a lot more difficult here in the next few weeks, but just knowing that you have that ring on your finger is going to keep me a sane man."

"What do you mean? What's going to be difficult?"

I just nuzzled up next to her, closing my eyes, "It doesn't matter right now… You're healthy, the twins are healthy and Namine is safe. That's all that matters."

For now, everything was going to be okay. But I couldn't shake the feeling that this thing with Terra was going to fuck everything up. Now it was a waiting game.

x-x-x-x-x

 _To Be Continued…_

x-x-x-x-x

 **A/N:** You guys didn't seriously think I could end Part One without a cliffhanger, right? ;P Yes, we've come to the end of The Beast in the Basement, but fret not! I'm going to be posting Part Two here in the next couple of days. It's going to be called: The Temptation Within Us and it'll be a direct continuation of this story. Keep and eye out! I've been loving all of the reviews you guys are posting and I hope I get just as many on the continuation. And remember to favorite and follow it too if you did this one.

I'll see you guys in Part Two!

 _Simply Rexene_


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